Détente
by bravefan
Summary: détente: the relaxation of strained relations or tensions (as between nations). Friendship wasn't built in a day. Armed with a bit of information, and a lot of problems to solve, Jaz and Amir take steps towards understanding and mutual respect post S1E07.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't have a shot" the words spewed from her mouth breathlessly. "Top, I don't have a shot." Her and Amir were still too far away. She always had the shot. Used to being put in the position to always have it when they really needed it. Sometimes it was hard to be miles away from the action and the team but right now she would happily take overwatch if it meant she could have a scope and a line on this guy

Unfortunately that hadn't been an option. In fact this entire mission had been outside her comfort zone and far from her preferred play book. Working off human Intel and following amir's lead, the fluid situation had kept evolving until they had ended up here. In a less than ideal situation on a tight timeframe and in a building with no sightlines with a unknown suicide bomber. Just perfect.

By the time they had identified the second bomber he was already in motion. Spurred by the boy's hesitation he had revealed himself. Amir's keen eyes detecting his abnormal movements against the regular buzz of patrons and vendors at the market. But when he turned back to his stall he had made them. Increasing the speed of his movements as he reached under the truck, unwavering in his resolve to carry out his part of the plan.

Her brain was quickly doing the calculations. They would be too late. Pushing through the crowd trying to close out the last couple feet, Amir and her would be just in time to have a front row seat for the explosion that would kill them all.

But suddenly she caught the sound of the silenced gunshot, hidden amongst the ambient noise only audible to trained ears. The terrorist jerked and spun as Dalton came out of nowhere, following his shots and catching the man as he went limp. Relief flooded her, skidding to a stop near him and surveying the scene for anyone else who might pose a threat.

"Here, break that down" Top handed her his gun as he worked on the detonator. She began dismantling the silencer, spinning it rapidly until it came off, scanning their surroundings to see if anyone noticed their actions. But everyone was focused on their fresh produce and smelly cheese and thankfully not on Amir dragging the body deeper into the shadows of the stall.

"French police are pulling in" McG's voice came through the coms sounding the warning as he and Preach exited the scene.

"Alright, thats it. Triggers disabled. Targets Down. We're out of here." Dalton lead the way out as they distanced themselves from the stall. Trying to blend into the crowd as the police finally arrived on scene. Just a few minutes too late the French officers headed straight to the back stall presumably alerted by the DIA now that they couldn't blow the operation again. They would find the american handiwork, bomber dead, trigger disabled, perfectly wrapped like a Christmas present ready to be claimed as their own.

As they headed out into the morning air she blinked eyes squinting against the sudden assault of sunlight and bright carnival colours. Across the parking lot she saw police surrounding Asim who knelt with his hands in the air. Her attention was drawn back when she felt Amir stiffen under her arm. Following his gaze she saw the boy was staring right at them and mouthing apologies to "Hamid Khedani". Police officers were starting to scan the crowd in their direction. She turned to pull Amir further away and follow after Dalton when she felt Amir unlink arms. Almost instantaneously she was shoved forwards and her foot was swept out from beneath her. She went down hard, skidding on the gravel cursing as it dug into her palms. "Amir what the hell!" turning to glare at him but he was no longer next to her. A stranger tried to help her up but she shook his arm off and stood on her own looking in confusion to where Amir stood now a few meters away. He looked over apologetically before his face hardened and he turned back to face the swarm of French police officers who were converging on him with guns drawn.

"Arrêtez!"

"Les mains en l'air!"

"À terre!"

A cacophony of French commands rang out, officers quickly surrounding him. She was pushed further away as the crowd distanced itself from the altercation unsure how dangerous it was. Jaz struggled, pushing against the tide trying to get back to Amir's side to help explain, eyes scanning the crowd to see where Dalton had gotten too. She keyed her comm "Top we have a problem" while still trying to break through the bodies fleeing the scene.

Amir's face shifted, taking on new characteristics and mannerisms as sudden and as stark as if someone flipped a switch. He began shouting profanities in Arabic, praising Allah and proclaiming that their work here was not done and could not be stopped. The police didn't hesitate tackling him to the ground with excessive force, piling multiple officers on top of his slight frame as he struggled and thrashed beneath their hold. She winced when an officer drew back and drove amir's face hard into the ground, his head bounced at the impact stunning his movements for a few seconds

Fueled by a surprising amount of anger at seeing her newest teammate struggling beneath the brutality she surged forward past the onlookers determined to put a stop to it. As she broke through the front row Amir caught her eye panic crossing his face for the first time. He shook his head frantically and it was enough to freeze her in his tracks confused and unsure what he was trying to convey.

A small tug at her sleeve announced Dalton's arrival. He caught her arm ensuring she didn't advance towards Amir. Eyes surveying the scene and quickly evaluating. The gendarmes hauled Amir to his feet arms wrenched behind him in cuffs and began to walk him away. Their prisoner continued to buck against their hold, thrashing and yelling, even as more force and more blows were applied.

"Why doesn't he just relax? We can explain it to them. They know we are here. It's just a mistake like when they arrested Preach and McG." Jaz muttered incredulously.

"They aren't arresting Amir, they're arresting Hamid Khedani... and Hamid has a reputation to protect" Dalton's face was grim, watching as Amir was manhandled none to gently into the back of a police van. The door slammed shut and they lost visual on their teammate as the van and several police escorts peeled out of the lot.

Dalton sighed, rubbing a hand over his face and beard. He switched on his com, regretting for what felt like the thousandth time this mission that Amir wasn't wearing one.

"Command we have a situation"


	2. Chapter 2

Bit of a set up chapter - Bear with me. And I promise Amir will make a reappearance soon.

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The team rendezvoused back at the safe house that the DIA scrambled for them. Preach and McG beat them there by a few minutes and already had a secure laptop set up and a connection prepped when Dalton and Jaz arrived on scene. Jaz pulled up a chair and put her feet up on the table taking a second to regroup while Dalton went straight to the computer and pressed the code for the DIA.

"Okay command, what have you got for us"

Patricia stepped into the screen, "Well as you suspected, the french police believe they have captured Hamid Khedani and are having a field day"

"How did they make him?" Dalton asked rubbing a hand over his face.

Noah's voice joined in from off screen "It appears when Mina contacted the police she gave the police a very detailed description of Amir aka Hamid..."

" ….and lucky us we got the one competent police officer who's good at wheres Waldo" Dalton finished the sentence for him.

"Yah, lucky us" Jaz scoffed "didn't help that Asim could use a few lessons in terrorist 101…. Lesson # 1- Don't make eye contact with your buddies"

"Okay, so can't we just explain the mistake to the police, no harm no foul, like we did earlier?" McG chimed in from the other side of the table where he was busy cramming a protein bar in his mouth.

"You'd ruin his cover, he would never be able to go under again" Hannah's worried voice came from the other side of Patricia. "Once it's in police records that Hamid Khedani is a cover identity it would never be safe to use again. Couldn't trust that it hadn't been leaked somehow"

"Exactly" Dalton agreed, "Amir clearly wasn't willing for that to happen so we will follow his lead. If he needs to he can give up his real identity and they will confirm it with us but we will leave that ball in his court for now"

McG looked incredulous "So what, we are just going to leave him in prison so he can continue to have a double life? "Hamid" isn't going to be much use to anyone if he is locked away in " _le Bastille"_ for the rest of his life"

Jaz stifled her laughter at McG's use of air quotes and butchered attempt at french. She couldn't resist mouthing " _LA bastille_ " back at him and got an eye roll and a shrug before he turned back to scavenge for more food in his pack.

Honestly, she shared McG's exasperation at the thought of all this stress over a problem they could easily make go away. If only most of the problems they dealt with could be solved this easily. But obviously that solution wasn't acceptable to Amir and by extension to Dalton who gave Amir a long leash when it came to these kinds of things. After seeing the former spy in his natural habitat today she was starting to understand why Top seemed to trust Amir's judgement unreservedly. Even she had to admit the man was good at what he did. Couple that with what she learned about his family history from Top, and maybe his motivations were not as complicated and unclear as she had previously thought. She was slightly hesitant to judge him for the first time, and wasn't quite comfortable with that uncertainty, preferring things to be black or white. Grey was messy and she didn't have time or place for that.

Preach's voice shook her out of her musings. "Can we convince the French government to transfer "Hamid" to our custody. Little quid pro-quo for all the help we just gave them?"

Dalton paused thoughtfully " it's doubtful they would do that. They want the credit, he's too high profile for them to give up. But it would be worth a shot"

"It's not an option anyways" Noah interjected, seemingly always the bearer of bad news.

"Why not?" Dalton's tone made it clear that he knew he probably wasn't going to like the answer.

Noah grimaced "check out the 5 o'clock news"

McG flipped on the TV and the team was greeted with a familiar face displayed prominently on the broadcast. He changed channels but each change brought the same mugshot with different varieties of headlines proclaiming the capture of a top terrorist with international ties to terrorism.

"Well at least it's his good side" he offered continuing to flip through channels. "Man they are really going to town on this aren't they"

"Well it is a big win for them... Patricia started.

"Even if we did all the work" McG muttered

Patricia ignored his comment and continued on " ...they stopped a terrorist attack and got the extra bonus of a storied ISIS member captured alive"

Dalton was ready to move on " well now the whole world knows Hamid Khedani was caught so his cover is never gonna work again anyways, no one is gonna believe he just waltzed right out of prison and back to their terror cell…"

His voice trailed off teeth tugging at his bottom lip in frustration.

Preach quirked an eyebrow at Dalton… "well maybe not waltzed out"...

Dalton's head tilted thoughtfully "you think? With a little help?"

Preach nodded thoughtfully "it would certainly be public."

"Yah, I'm sure we could find a way to make a splash" Dalton's face was alive again, eyes gleaming as the start of a plan formulated rapidly.

" It would have to be a fake spash, we can't protect his cover at the expense of lives"

Patricia interrupted their duologue, apparently tracking the conversation better than the rest of the confused faces who were watching the two go back and forth like a tennis match.

"Of course, and we could we could always abort if needed and fall back to plan B" Dalton nodded in agreement.

" We would need to get someone on the inside to get the information to Amir" Preach continued on full steam ahead.

Dalton tilted his head pensively looking at Patricia who nodded on the screen. "That's doable, how do you feel about some new tattoos Preach?"

Preach laughed, "I'm really more a Shawshank man myself"

Jaz shrugged when McG looked at her quizzically. She had no clue what was going on but they both were accustomed to Preach and Dalton communicating practically telepathically. She had given up on reminding them that the rest of the team needed more than half formed sentences to keep up. They would fill them in eventually once they got where they were going.

Noah apparently was not satisfied with being out of the loop and had suddenly caught up with the last couple tv/movie references " Wait are you suggesting we break Amir out of a high security French prison?" his voice rose with barely concealed horror.

Jaz and McG sat up in their chairs looking to Preach and Dalton with renewed interest.

"You says that like its a bad thing?" Dalton said innocently

Noah sat down heavily with a thud that was heard clearly a continent away. He gave a weak and not at all convincing " OK then."

Dalton smirked "See, now thats the enthusiasm we are looking for.. Alright let's see how we go about breaking our guy out"


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delay on this one. Hit a bit of a block on this chapter. My mind kept racing ahead to write future parts I was excited about but couldn't seem to get through this one. So on a good note the next couple chapters are well on their way :)

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The team watched the shaky camera feed that shifted and lurched with each step Preach. He made is way silently through through the dark and cramped prison hallways with a strong sense of purpose to his step. The accompanying guard tried to make idle small talk but quickly gave up and let their footsteps echo in the uncomfortable silence as they made their way past cell after cell. Preach was normally a warm and welcoming fatherly figure to the team but apparently he could pull off cold and detached with the best of them when he wanted to. All attempts at conversation had been met with cool silence and an intimidating look that had the prison guard scurrying along the hallway clearly eager to hand his charge off and be done with it.

Even from behind the lens the team could sense the man's relief when he finally reached his destination, indicated the door to Preach and backed off quickly down the hall trying and failing to look purposeful rather than just happy to be free.

Preach waited until the man was just about to round the corner before calling out,

"Attendez"

The fleeing man froze, shoulders tensing as he unhappily turned back around.

Preach studied him for a long moment watching the guard shift and squirm. They could almost see him debating if he could just making a run for it, when Preach finally broke the tense moment with a simple, pleasant "Merci."

The guard seemed to wilt, stammering an unintelligible reply before redoubling his efforts for a hasty retreat.

" _Dalton, I think you should give Preach more undercover assignments, he seems to be enjoying himself"_ Patricia's voice dryly broke the silence on their coms. The team gathered around the monitors back at the safe house all smirked and McG seized the set up " _There you go Preach, if we can't save Amir from his 25 to life you might have a new role. Make sure to add "made prison guard wet pants" to your resume'._

Both Dalton and Preach ignored the banter, focused entirely on what lay behind the door and Preach firmly grasped the handle and finally pulled it open with a forceful yank.

He strode confidently into an overcrowded room, men standing shoulder to shoulder in too close quarters to get the best view through the window that lay opposite his entry point. Various uniforms and states of attire denoted the different military, police and and intelligence personnel that were in attendance. As Preach made his entrance all heads turned to survey the newest occupant without moving from their observation posts close to the glass. Preach was unphased by the scrutiny, calmly crossing the room without any hesitation and breaking into smooth French to ask for his contact.

The members in the room had been expecting him. Patricia had worked her magic convincing the French government that she had a team member in the vicinity who had a history with Hamid Khedani and would be better suited to interrogate him than someone starting from scratch. She had gently offered American help, while firmly reminding them of their previous incompetence with detecting and stopping the cell on their own, until they had requested her help as if it was their own idea. The French functionaires had eaten it up, happy to accept American help on the side and then take credit for it later. The proud military, police and intelligence personnel in this room did not seem as appreciative of that strategy. Clearly taking his presence as an insult, a suggestion that they were not compétant to do their jobs.

One officer finally stepped away, turning fully to shake Preach's hand and introduce himself. He offered the chance to sit for some refreshments while he briefed the American on the file and what they had learned so far. Preach quickly shook his head " I do not need a briefing or tea. Enough time has already been wasted and I'm sure he has given you nothing. What I need is the room alone with Mr. Khedani, I am well acquainted with anything you have in that file."

The officer's eyebrows rose, unimpressed with Preach's aggressive manner and assumptions regarding their progress to this point. His jaw worked stiffly and he appeared to be working to stifle the several ways he probably wanted to respond to that comment. Instead he rose abruptly from the table with a curt "suivez moi". Preach rose and followed obediently, crossing the room to the door that lay beside the thick glass pane. The officer pressed a prox card to the panel and the door audibly unlocked allowing him to pull the door wide and beckon inside with a sweeping arm movement. "Bonne Chance" he said acerbically, without a hint of sincerity. He then gestured for his own men to exit the small room leaving Preach on his own as the door slammed behind him.

Preach's camera finally caught the first sight of their teammate since his capture. Amir sat heavily strapped to the chair, head slumped forward and body slouched uncomfortably to one side. His clothes were rumpled and disheveled, a sharp contrast from the polished and powerful look he had sported earlier in the morning. His head finally raised causing various muted exclamations of anger from his teammates.

"Damn, they didn't waste any time did they"

Jaz let out a quiet whistle. It had only been 6 hours since he had been pulled from her side, but his face told a clear story of what had happened since then. Large bruises dotted the sides of his face already starting to show their colours. His expression was punctuated by cuts on his cheekbones and around his lips. One eye was swollen and heavy, not opening fully when he blinked slowly trying to focus on his new visitor. Jaz grimaced, he looked like he had ended up on the bad side of a boxing match and she would put good money that he had a hell of headache right now. He would also probably have quite a pair of shiners to show for it tomorrow morning.

"McG?"

Dalton's voice was outwardly calm but she could see his simmering anger in the set of his mouth and the tightly balled fists at his side.

McG responded to the unspoken question quickly. He had already been busy cataloging the possible injuries. "Hard to say with any certainty from here but looks like at least some bruised ribs from how he is sitting. Doesn't take any medical training to see they used his head as a punching bag, good bet he's got a concussion."

Dalton acknowledged the assessment with a sharp nod. "You think he is up for our plan?"

The medic looked at him in surprise "you mean we aren't pulling the plug and getting him the hell out of there?"

He took the notable silence from both Patricia and Dalton as his answer and shook his head bemused "Of course not." He blew out a noisy breath of frustration "Honestly Top, I don't get it. Why the hell is he willing to go through all this just for a cover"

It was practically a rhetorical question, or at least one that Dalton didn't seem to have any plans to answer.

Instead Jaz caught their CO's eyes drifting to her speculatively, as if waiting her to agree with McG's assessment. Anticipating her jumping on the opportunity to criticize Amir's decision making with a more sinister motive than McG's polite disbelief.

Guilt settled heavily when she realized that that was what he now expected from her. Apart from Dalton having to step in on the mission in Ukraine, she'd convinced herself she was doing well at keeping her feelings hidden and separate from their missions. That she could keep Amir at arms length personally but still work effectively in the field with him when needed. Top's reaction here made it clear that that wasn't the case. Maybe there had been a pattern of negative comments or quick judgement that she hadn't even been aware of on some level. Looking back she couldn't deny that she had been quicker to question things Amir suggested, when she might have given any of her other teammates ideas a chance.

Of course Dalton had picked up on it all though, he was the most perceptive person she knew. Even now he was still watching her and probably knew exactly what thoughts were swirling in her mind. She met his gaze and he gave her a soft smile of approval, obviously content to see her thinking things through. After a second he turned back to the monitors to keep tabs on things.

Amir gave no signs that he recognized the man in front of him as Preach pulled up a chair in front of him. Hopefully a result of his impressive acting skills and because of too many blows to the head. But regardless he played the part well. The silence stretched as the two men stared at each other calm and calculating, neither in a hurry to break the silence, neither wanting to make the first move.

Amir finally blinked first "if you are going to waste my time, I would like to leave, it is almost time for prayers." He was testing the waters curious to see what direction they wanted him to go with this.

Preach responded with a swift series of questions about Hamid's activities in the cell, his connections to Africa, future plans, connections in Europe etc. All of which Amir refused to answer, responding with predictable rhetoric and giving misleading answers, stonewalling him just as he had the other interrogators before him.

The two danced back and forth, improvising long enough to be more than believable to those watching. Despite not having the script, Amir read the cues and played it perfectly. Slowly raising the temperature and starting to fire back increasingly provocative barbs and threats at his newest interrogator. Preach finally called it for the night stating they would resume their chat in the morning. He stood and turned to leave but Amir had saved the best for last sending one parting shot at Preach's retreating back. "I look forward to it. Going home to call your family? Your three lovely daughters are probably waiting eagerly by the phone. We wouldn't want to keep them waiting ...would we?"

He barely finished the thinly veiled threat before Preach's fist drove hard into his stomach with enough force to send the legs of the chair flying out backwards and send its occupant face first into the floor. Amir coughed and wheezed trying to catch his breath with his face pressed into the dirty floor.

Preach stepped in close to the overturned chair, crouching down beside the man and whispered for Amir's ears only "Sorry brother, you can get a free shot next time we are in the ring". Resuming his character he patted the man on the cheek condescendingly and then stood and stepped away in the direction of the exit calmly ignoring the man writhing and muttering muffled curses on the floor.

As he passed through the viewing room he made eye contact with each individual who had been watching.

"Nobody touches him, leave him there all night just like he is. I will be back at 6:00 am sharp and expect to see him right where I left him, in the position I left him"

Without waiting for a response he departed leaving stunned silence in his wake. Just as the door was closing he heard the low hum of conversations restarting and smirked as he picked out the one English phrase enunciated loudly and clearly for his ears in the hallway

"Fucking Americans. "


	4. Chapter 4

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Jaz was not a patient person.

That was probably the understatement of the century... And it certainly wasn't a revelation to anyone who knew her.

She hated sitting and doing nothing. She hated not being able to see the whole picture. When she was on overwatch she had her sights on everything that was happening. She was constantly surveying and evaluating, looking for any little detail that might turn the battle on its head. In control of the whole situation. That was her happy place.

This… This was about as far from that as possible. Just sitting and doing nothing. Waiting. Hunkered down in a cramped, smelly, stolen car where she was both literally and figuratively in the dark about what was going on outside around her. It blows.

The alley she was parked in had minimal street lights which made it ideal as their anticipated egress point for Amir….assuming he got out. She still thought Top's plan was nuts, but then again she usually did, and they usually worked out.

That didn't mean she had to like it, and it didn't mean she had to like her role in it. Being the getaway driver meant lots of sitting and waiting. She was pretty sure she had drawn the short straw in this equation. Preach and McG were going to have way more fun with their assignments.

Her hands tapped anxiously on the steering wheel waiting for things to start. She couldn't get the picture of Amir in the overturned chair with all his weight and the weight of the chair pressing his face to the floor. That couldn't be comfortable. Unfortunately they had needed to wait a few hours for darkness to really fall to have the best chance of success with their plan so he had been stuck like that for a while.

She paused her rhythmic drumming when she finally heard Dalton send the signal to Amir to move. It was reassuring to have him back on their communication channel. It had been a very impressive sleight of hand by Preach. Even watching for him to make his move she had still almost missed him slip the device into Amir's ear.

She listened intently, waiting for the next update. A long moment later Amir's voice confirmed he had cut his bonds with the knife he had acquired in his scuffle with Preach. " _Ready to move"_

Noah acknowledged that he had control of the electronic systems and was also ready to proceed. The man still seemed incredibly stressed about this plan. His blood pressure was probably through the roof by the sounds of things. She wondered if the other Omega teams were as much trouble for their DIA counterparts. She felt like their team managed to have an inordinate amount of missions that went a little haywire. She didn't mind, it kept life interesting. However the DIA was often left scrambling, pulling out all the stops to help bail them out. Maybe they should all chip in for a vacation for him..he sounded like he could use it.

Dalton gave McG and Preach their green light and her eyes searched the distance north east of her position where the front of the prison should lie. Even though she expected it the large explosion still made her jump slightly in her seat. Some well coordinated flashbangs did an admirable job of passing for a bomb minus the danger and devastating damage. Preach had looked seriously underwhelmed when he was given the parameters for the distraction, Initially disappointed with the lack of firepower, he had rallied and certainly had made the most of what he had been allowed to work with.

Her ears caught the sound of gunfire as McG joined in causing some chaos. She knew that he was just lighting off firecrackers, and she liked to think that even if she hadn't known that she would have been able to tell the difference. Although she had to admit with the flashbangs going and the crackers popping it was a fairly convincing charade of a coordinated attack.

A loud siren and flashing lights brought her attention back to her immediate surroundings as a police car whizzed by the main road at the end of the alley. The police response on the outside would hopefully mimic the prison response on the inside. Best case scenario most of the guards would be rushing towards the apocalypse happening at their front gates leaving some breathing room to enact their plan.

She re-focused on the buzzing in her ear listening to Noah and Adam work in tandem to direct Amir through the prison on the designated route. Continents apart they worked seamlessly amalgamating real time security footage with dated blueprints to maneuver Amir towards their exit route without being detected.

Top's voice gave a steady stream of directions.

" _10 meters, take the door on the left"_

" _Hold one"_

" _Noah lock that door behind him_ "

Amir was mostly silent as he moved but she could hear him breathing heavily as he tried to follow the frantic pace of the instructions. Noah too sounded out of breath as he typed away attempting to keep up with hacking the different security systems to allow access to rooms and doors as needed.

She tried to visualize Amir's progress through the building but to be honest she hadn't paid much attention to the blue prints when they were planning. She had known that her part lay outside the walls and had focused on learning the best routes to get him out of the city undetected. They would have to move fast and smart through the streets of Paris to get out before roadblocks could be set up.

" _Down the stairs, turn right at the bottom"_

" _Almost there Amir, third door on the left should be your target"_

She straightened out of her slumped position. It sounded like he was nearing the Laundry room. He was close.

" _Okay Amir, there should be a drain in the back left corner, you are going to need to pry it up with whatever you can find."_

She cringed slightly at the loud clangs of metal in her ear that signaled Amir had found some sort of tool to work with. Watching more police cars speed by toward the scene out front of the prison she muttered "come on, come on" impatiently and then turned on her mike on to alert the team.

"Top, police presence on the street is heating up"

" _We just picked up chatter on the police channels. The prison knows Hamid escaped, that presence is going to keep growing"_. Hannah confirmed her suspicion.

" _Acknowledged, McG and I are falling back to the safe house_ " Preach signalled.

" _Amir, hurry up buddy"_ Dalton urged with a calm urgency.

" _Yah, yah, I'm working on it"_ Sounds of exertion and small grunts of frustration carried over the line before she finally heard Amir let out a victorious " _got it!"_

" _Okay Amir, down the rabbit hole, Jaz is waiting for you in a grey megane_ "

There was a pause as the man undoubtedly considered what he was being asked to do. He had dutifully followed directions to this point, working off adrenaline and trusting the team to lead him. Now with the dark murky sewage pipe open and visible below him it seemed he might having second thoughts.

" _You have got to be kidding me."_ Yup, definitely second thoughts. Jaz stifled her laughter as Amir's disgust for his escape routing rang loud and clear over the line. She could imagine the pained expression he was making, likely similar to the one that he made when it was their turn to cook and the food didn't live up to his gourmet standards.

" _Come on princess"_ Dalton's tone offered no pity but a slight hint of amusement.

" _I hate you all"_

But in he went.

She tracked his progress through the piping by the clarity of his mutterings. They caught patchy parts of his rants about bacteria and sanitation systems as his coms faded in and out. As he got closer to the end she static lessened and his voice got clearer allowing her to hear his latest exclamations about burning his clothes and bathing in purell.

Laughing slightly she leaned forward on the edge of her seat trying to get a better view of the exit in the dark. Finally, she saw a dark shape emerging.

"I have a visual" she reported in and flashed the car lights once to direct Amir towards her.

He hustled in her direction and jumped into the backseat.

She grimaced as he slammed the door behind him, wafting the odor of sewage and shit up towards her.

"Ugh you reek"

"Nice to see you too, Jaz"

She rolled her eyes and signalled the team "One very smelly team member accounted for, we are on the move"

Amir climbed over the backseat, hunkering down in the hatch below the window line.

She started the car and pulled out into the deserted streets. It was close to midnight and their weren't a lot of cars on the road in this area. Even less after their pyrotechnics had sent people fleeing the area.

It was her turn to blindly follow directions as Hannah called out police movements in her vicinity. She quickly had to deviate off of her planned route as Dalton steered her away from detection. Taking turn after turn she started to feel like she was trapped in a pacman game. It didn't matter how many corners she went around the ghosts just kept coming. It was a shame she couldn't eat them and send them back to jail for a few minutes. Instead she just had to rely on her team to weave her through the maze successfully.

Suddenly the car shuddered beneath her and stalled out. "You have got to be kidding me" she muttered.

Amir's head popped up from the rear "What happened?"

"Get back down before someone sees you!" She hissed.

She turned the key in the ignition and it sputtered weakly several times but refused to come back to life.

" _Jaz, we have several police cars coming up behind you. You need to get across the bridge bridge now"_ Hannah's voice was higher than normal as situation took a turn.

"Trying here… seriously McG did you have to pick such a junker to steal?"

She took a deep breath, ignoring the voices in her ear urgently pressing for updates, and turned the key ever so gently in the ignition. The car jerked back to life. She exhaled in relief, tentatively pushing on the gas and rejoicing when the car rolled. "Alright, we are back in business!"

Her celebration was short lived.

They made it another hundred meters, right out onto the center of the bridge when the car decided to crap out again. This time it is DOA and no amount of coaxing or cursing will resuscitate it despite her best efforts.

"Shit. We aren't going anywhere in this puppy"

She doesn't need the frantic voices in her ear to tell her they are screwed. She can see the flashing lights in her rearview mirror maybe 100 meters back from where they've broken down.

Go past the bridge, go past the bridge she urges them in her mind.

They don't.

"Stay down and be still" she throws back to Amir. The first police car passes, and she breathes a sigh of relief.

But the second one slows to a stop beside her.

Adams voice reminds her " _Alright, keep it cool. They don't know you are involved."_

The passenger side officer rolls down his window to speak to her.

"You can't stop here"

"I know, I know" she pulls out her most apologetic french, "My car, I don't know what is wrong" She tries for her best innocent expression as he eyes her and the car suspiciously.

"We need this bridge clear."

"I'm so sorry, my brother is coming. it shouldn't take long."

The officer considers and she prays under her breath... please go, please go.

But he doesn't. His partner turns off his car and they both get out. Her heart stops, but then he smiles at her

"Here, it's downhill to the other side, together we can push it to the main road."

She smiles weakly, trying to think of a way to protest their kindness. But the damage is done, they have already decided to help the damsel in distress. Shit. Shit. Shit.

The voices in her ear have all gone quiet watching the scene unravel with horror just as she is. It seems to take an eternity for them to step around her and reach the back of the car. It's like a slow motion scene out of a movie. Like a commercial where a cup of red wine is falling through the air towards the pristine white carpet. Its falling and falling and falling, and they are walking and walking and then boom, the wine explodes splattering everywhere.

The first officer rounds the corner of the car and the scene is instantly frenzied chaos. Guns are out and pointed at them, they are yelling at her, they are yelling for backup, they are yelling at Amir. She slowly raises her hands to the air in surrender and sinks to her knees trying to calm things down.

It barely seems to take a second and more cop cars are converging on the scene from both sides of the bridge. If there was any way out of this there isn't now. They are royally screwed.

Shit.

They were so close.

They finally open the trunk and Amir is walked over to her at gunpoint. He kneels beside her in the same submissive position.

"I guess the gig is up" she murmurs to him. He doesn't respond, stony faced and seething at their rotten luck.

The officers are shouting back and forth, hyped on adrenaline and excited with their find.

In the distance she can make out a several news helicopters coming their way. Drawn away from where they were filming the still smouldering prison gates, they are chasing the lights and sirens to the hopes of something else exciting. And who was she kidding, those media vultures probably had a police scanner somehow.

"Well Top, you wanted public. This is definitely public. But I don't think more footage of Hamid being captured is the story we were aiming for" She muttered under her breath.

Amir glared at her dark humor not as amused. But then he stiffened and straightened up, eying her speculatively. "Maybe not" he said contemplatively.

She wasn't sure what he was thinking but she was fairly confident she wasn't going to like it. "Enough of the spy games Amir, those are real guns pointed at us. Don't be stupid"

He nodded his head contritely, inching closer to her on his knees. The cops caught sight of the movement, guns raising higher and shouting out commands to halt. Amir ignored them. He didn't hesitate, reaching over to Jaz and pulling her in front of him while drawing his knife to her throat.

Confusion reigned. The police were frozen, confused by the turn of events. Was she with him? Was she a victim? Their indecision crippled them as they tried to sort out what just happened. Unsure how to proceed.

"Amir what are you doing?" She growls at him.

Dalton's voice echoes the same question in their ears.

She feels him slowly start to shuffle backwards towards the ledge of the bridge. Turning her head as much as she can she catches him glancing over the edge at the river below.

"No way…..Not happening"

"What are you scared of a little water Jaz?" he asks innocently and she swears she sees a glint of humour in his eye. How the hell is he finding this situation even remotely funny?

"Amir don't you dare. That's insane."

 _"Amir, don't do anything stupid,"_ there's a warning tone in Top's voice.

The knife disappears from her throat and she relaxes, expecting him to finally give it up. Instead his hold tightens around her and it's too late to stop their momentum as he pulls her over the ledge. They are weightless for a moment before gravity does its work and they plummet to the water below.

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	5. Chapter 5

He didn't really expect how long the fall would take. How long he would have in the air to rethink and second guess the advisability of what he had just committed them too. He thought it was a great idea, right up until he didn't anymore. And damn the fall seemed to take extra long just to give him extra time to regret it.

Fuck, Fuck, Fuck. Jaz's panicked repetition focused him and he tightened his hold on her, wrapping around her as best he could determined to take the brunt of the inevitable impact if he could manage it. He tried to orient himself, to find the water so they could go in at the best possible angle but it was hard to track while free falling in the dark night.

He twisted slightly hoping at least to not break their fall head first. He finally saw the dark water a split second before they broke it catching him mid-rotation. His ribs took the brunt of impact stealing his breath as the entire left side of his body felt like it had landed on concrete instead of something fluid.

He hung in limbo for a second trying to orient himself in the murky water, made more difficult by his spinning head which was protesting the rough landing. An elbow to his ribs made him start and grimace as Jaz begins to struggle beneath his hold. He unwrapped his arms but kept a firm grasp on one of her arms. She pulled away trying to follow their bubbles upwards to the surface where there would be air but also cops. He didn't know what do yet... but that wasn't it.

He paused for a second ignoring her insistent tugging and trying to feel the flow of the river. Giving her arm a sharp yank he began to swim against the current. She followed along for a moment but then began to try to rise again undoubtedly starting to run out of air. He doesn't know how long they have been under but his own lungs are starting to burn as well. Forcing his brain to override his body's automatic desire to surface he pulls her hand insistently deeper and keeps swimming trying to estimate their location in relation to the bridge they just jumped off. The current would have made them drift downstream a bit. Maybe just a little further. At last he starts to rise satisfied to see a dark shadow ahead in the water to aim for.

They come up directly underneath the bridge, gasping for air.

Continuing to pull Jaz he kicks over towards one of the large pillars and presses against the upstream side of it bracing against the current and allowing himself to rest for a second. He leans his aching head against the cold stone, taking a moment to try to settle his pounding heart and oxygen depleted lungs.

Jaz copies him leaning against the wall still sputtering and taking great heaving gulps of air.

As she begins to catch her breath he sees the explosion coming as sure as watching a digital timer count down...3…..2…...1…..

zero..."Are you crazy?!" - there it was.

"Shhhhhhhhhh"

She lowers her voice but isn't deterred or placated in any way.

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

"It was the only way" he bit out firmly, hoping she would let it go.

He wasn't going to bother explaining. She wouldn't listen. Especially not now. It was a shame, the last couple missions she had almost been civil. He'd almost let himself believe that they were making progress and that one day she might accept him as a team member she actually valued rather than just the replacement guy she wished wasn't there.

That ship had probably sailed now after blowing up at her in the streets of Paris. He wasn't proud that he had let the mission get under his skin and that both of their emotions had gotten the better of them. _The mission changed_. The torrential downpour hadn't put a damper on their fiery exchange, but Top's disapproval sure had. Now with this, he might as well have aimed a cannon at the ship and sent it to the depths of the ocean for all the hope he had of making things work with her.

And of course she didn't let it go. He was hardly surprised, if there was one thing he knew about the sniper is that she was stubborn.

"No it wasn't... We could have surrendered. We aren't actual bad guys. Patricia would have explained it all, whoops our bad, a few "Désolés" and we all go home. THE END…..We could be on a plane back to base and a hot shower right now but noooooo we are in scummy diseased Paris water, with no plan, no exfil route, and no coms cuz you decided we should go for a dip!"

Her voice rose again taking a slightly hysteric edge that was foreign to him. He didn't think he had ever seen her this rattled on any of their missions. It was very different from cool and sarcastic tone he was accustomed to hearing from her. He also didn't think he had ever heard her put together a sentence of more than 5 words when talking to him. She normally didn't waste extra words on him, preferring to keep her jabs short and concise and to the point.

He ignored her rant, offering only a cool "Are you done?"

She glared at him too angry to form a sentence.

Yup, just call their friendship the Titanic. There would be no going back from this iceberg. But he might as well make use of the ceasefire.

"Good, give me a second to think"

"Oh now you want to think things through. Perfect." She muttered not really under her breath.

He ignored her barb. But it was almost reassuring, more like the Jaz he knew.

He was also acutely aware this probably wasn't the end of it. He would hear about it from her later and probably from Top too. But right now they needed to get a plan together and get moving and his pounding head was having a hard enough time thinking as it was without going round for round with her. They couldn't stay against this column forever, eventually the police would get boats in the water. The police presence was continuing to multiply above them on the bridge and along the river banks. He could hear helicopters circling above and see their spotlights searching the water for signs of the fugitives.

He watched her bat away a banana peel that the current dragged in towards her. Looking around he could see other garbage floating down the river. People were disgusting,

Peeking around the pillar lights were combing the approximate area they had jumped and sweeping downriver from there. The spotlights illuminated more junk drifting in the water and sparked an idea in his brain. Maybe there was a way to get out of this. Now he just needed to figure out the where. He turned his attention upriver and smiled. Yes, it might be doable but they would need to ensure the police were firmly convinced they had gone the other way.

He broke his contemplative and her fuming silence.

"Okay. Give me your shoes."

"You have got to be kidding me… Use yours"

"No, I have other plans for those"

He held out his hand calmly until she huffed and worked in the water to produce her two boots. He tied the two sets of laces together in preparation before bracing himself on the wall and hucking them as far as he could down stream causing a splash. Several alert police officer called out the disturbance and dozens of flashlights and several large spotlights instantly began sweeping the area where the water was still rippling. He could hear more and more police activity moving downstream and the helicopter noise above them diminished slightly as they focused their attention further down from the channel.

Okay, now for the hard part. He let go of the wall for a second and reached down to pull off his own shoes. He hands one to Jaz who looks at him incredulously until he demonstrates the next part of his plan. Then her face rapidly morphs from confusion to straight dissension and she hisses at him "A... No way that works. We are going to drown. And B...No freaking way am I doing that with your shoe."

"That distraction will only keep them busy so long. This is an untenable position. We need to move so we can establish contact with our team. This plan is the best chance of achieving those objectives, its also the only plan we have"

He purposefully keeps his response as calm and tactical as possible, appealing to the soldier in her. As if they are just sitting around the table back at the Quonset hut briefing for a mission rather than treading water in a Paris channel as the most wanted fugitives in the EU right now.

Holding her gaze, he waits until he sees a flicker of resignation before he pushes off the wall hoping that just once she will actually follow his lead.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the confusion with the shoes, I guess I was going for the dramatic reveal in this chapter. If it makes you feel any better the team is just as confused to start off with...Hopefully it will make sense soon. Although to be honest I don't even know if what I imagined would work. But the thought of it amused me and the joke potential was there so please bear with me as I run (or more aptly swim) with it.

Also full disclosure that I started doing research about oxygen levels and all that good stuff for this chapter and then saw a bunch of math, chemistry and big words and my eyes glazed over. So if anyone actually knows about those things… Sorry in advance if I butchered it :)

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Adam was no longer amused with this. It had started off fun. Kind of like one of the war games they engaged in from time to time with other Omega teams. An opportunity to push their creativity and hone their skills in a controlled environment with low stakes. He had to admit he had enjoyed working through the prison break and coordinating it in real time. He had been slightly disappointed at their luck with the car and that they would have to play their the get out of jail free card … aka calling in Patricia to explain everything away. Sometimes it would be nice to have that kind of a safety net on some of their missions, but that probably would take some of the fun out of it too if he was honest with himself.

All in all It had been enjoyable, right up until the real guns were pointed at his operatives. Right up until he realized something wasn't right and that his team wasn't surrendering smoothly as they should have been. Jaz had been down on her knees but now was back up and fighting someone by the looks of things.

"Jaz what's going on?"

He gathered around the screen with Preach and McG trying to sort out the jumbled images from her body cam. Jaz's jerky struggles and restless movements made things more confusing. Where was Amir though? Why wasn't he doing something if she was being attacked. All they could see off her feed was the ring of police with their weapons drawn and pointed squarely at her. Strangely though the officers also looked as confused as he felt about the situation.

"Noah where is my footage?" Dalton asked impatiently.

" _Amir, what are you doing?_ "Jaz's voice was tight and her anger easily recognized even through the comms. All of them had been on the receiving end of that tone at some point or another from the fiery sniper and had regretted it.

That was unexpected revelation though. Amir seemed to be the cause of whatever was happening. And Jaz was clearly not impressed with him.

"She isn't impressed with much he does so that doesn't exactly narrow things down much" McG muttered in response, only half joking.

Dalton grimaced, he hadn't realized he had voiced his thought process out loud. But he also couldnt deny that McG was right.

" _News footage is up_." Noah's voice distracted him and he hungrily turned to the extra monitors where Noah was expertly combining various news feeds that he had "borrowed" onto the screen.

Preach let out a low whistle as realization quickly set in of why exactly Jaz was so irate.

Oh boy. This was not good on so many levels. He wasn't sure exactly when he had lost control of this whole situation but somehow he now has one operative using the other as a human shield against dozens of armed officers.

Dalton leaned into the monitor, tracking the movement of the pair as they inched backwards away from the police. What was Amir doing? Clearly there was nowhere to go.

McG questioned "Is he thinking what I think he's thinking…" pointing to the river on the map in front of them.

Dalton knows in an instant that McG is 's exactly what their desperate teammate was planning. He doesn't need the confirmation in their coms listening to Amir and Jaz snipe at each other.

But this has gone far enough and it's time to pull the plug.

"Amir… Don't do anything stupid….." But before he can finish his sentence he watches the pair plunge over the side

… Like that" he grits out, shaking his head feeling his blood pressure rise.

Shit this was a mess.

Preach waited a beat and then ever the calm one tried to keep things in perspective "one might say stupidity is relative"

"I think we can label this one pretty objectively" he said sarcastically.

But he took the point, and took a deep breath to try to center himself and find some perspective on the situation. He rubbed a hand slowly down over his beard releasing some of the tension in his face before he called out to them

"Amir… Jaz?"

Soft static met his queries.

"Jaz… Amir…. Report"

"Our earwigs are good, but even they probably didn't stay in with that kind of dive" Preach commented reassuringly.

Dalton's mouth twisted, hoping the man was right.

"Noah get me all the footage possible let's see if we can figure out where they came up". He ignored the voice in the back of his head that added dubiously _if they come up._

There was silence again as they all scanned the screens looking for any sign of their teammates breaking the surface. He was happy now for the excessive media response as there were plenty of camera angles to view and spotlights were being shone in all directions illuminating the dark water as if for their benefit.

After several minutes he grew tired of watching the still water and turned his attention to the police movement. They were in the same boat as his team staring at the water just waiting for any signs of life.

"There" Preach pointed to one of the feeds. "Something splashed." The police had clearly seen it too as their activity increased and shifted down stream towards that area.

But when there were no further signs of activity his frustration and concern began to mount again. It could have been a fish for all they knew. Were there even fish in that channel. Probably not. He shook his head. Why was he even thinking about this. His brain was completely scattered. He needed to get himself back in the game.

 _"_ _Wait a minute_ …" Hannah's voice broke him out of his self recrimination.

"What?" he demanded impatiently.

 _"_ _They didn't.."_ Noah sounded aghast responding to whatever Hannah was showing him.

She chuckled " _I think they did_ "

" _How did you even catch that_ "

" _Lucky I guess, Ok lets pan out and track that direction_ "

 _"_ _Where are they going"_

He looked incredulously at McG and Preach. They looked as confused as he was.

"Hannah" he tried to catch her attention, but her and Noah were lost in their excitement and seemed to have forgotten they were even on the line.

"Guys!" ….. his frustration had it coming out in a slightly louder growl than he intended. But still it wasn't their fault and he tried to soften his next words "care to share with the class?"

" _Sorry captain_ " Hannah responded contritely, although it still sounded like she was trying hard not to laugh.

"What is so funny" he was taking it as a good sign that they were so amused.

" _Sorry, here lo_ ok" Noah cleared the monitors remotely and pulled up one feed with video footage of the channel on the other side of the bridge. He zoomed it in for them until they could see random bits of garbage floating in the water. Adam watched for a few seconds, seeing floating banana peels, discarded wrappers, old shoes and wrinkled plastic bags floating in the lovely parisian waters but nothing that indicated any signs of Jaz or Amir.

"And what am I looking at exactly…" fighting to keep the impatience from creeping back into his voice. He had had enough of being in the dark when it came to his team.

Hannah's voice rushed to explain, perhaps sensing he was at the end of his rope "t _he current is flowing this way_ " an arrow magically appeared on their screen as someone in the DIA illustrated for them. " _And if you look here_ …" two circles appeared on their screens _"you can see that these shoe are moving that way_ " another arrow pointed the opposite direction of the first one. " _So the shoes are going upstream meaning…._

"That someone is propelling them" he finished her explanation with a smile.

He had to admit it was a pretty genius catch. There was so much crap in that water. A couple shoes didn't look out of place unless you were really looking. He was always impressed by what the great analytical minds at the DIA could figure out and this was certainly no exception.

McG broke in "So let me get this straight, they are floating underneath the surface and what, breathing through the shoe?" he said dubiously

 _"_ _Well not through the shoe per say_ " Noah eagerly launched into an explanation _"we did some quick math and in theory a Men's size 11 could hold around 6 cubic feet of oxygen which would get you around 120 breaths give or take. There probably wouldn't be a perfect seal so you might get a little more and you could get some extra breaths in before the C02 levels got too high."_

There was silence for a second as everyone digested the information overload before McG snickered "Well that's a bit generous on the shoe size for Amir so you might need to recalculate"

Then his eyes grew wide thinking the implications through further. "So wait Jaz is breathing out of Amir's shoe…" He turned to Preach, eyes gleaming "First the plunge, now this….100 bucks she kills him in his sleep when we get back."

"You are assuming he even makes it back" Preach responded with a grin "and I'm not worried about the French Police."

Dalton shot them a withering glare, but the corners of this lips told a different story as they fought to stay straight. He could find a little humour in the situation now that he knew the pair had survived the drop but he still wasn't happy with the situation.

"Alright let's work on some new exfil routes for when they make contact"

 _"_ _Ah yeah, about that. They are going to need to be pretty creative"_ Noah says hesitantly.

"Noah…."He groans knowing he won't like this. Their monitors quickly flash up the latest news story that the DIA has found and Dalton lifts his head skywards in exasperation when he sees his sniper's picture prominently displayed as wanted in connection to known terrorist Hamid Khedani.

A small part of him is actually kind of impressed. They already have video footage of Jaz and Amir walking arm in arm at the market prior to Amir's arrest as well as a still frame of her on her knees next to Amir on the bridge. Where was this level of competency during the original mission when they almost screwed everything up with their ill timed raid of the terrorist compound?

" _Yes, who'd have thought they could put two and two together"_ Patricia's voice came back on the line, evidently having returned from being briefed by the French on Khedani's escape, and apparently reading her team leader's mind. He was used to her doing that, it wasn't the first time and probably wouldn't be the last.

She continued on _"Dalton sometimes you are too good at your job. In the pursuit of protecting one terrorist cover identity you somehow managed to create a second for Sgt. Khan"_

Dalton 's teeth pulled at his bottom lip as he considered the somewhat facetious compliment and veiled reprimand all in one. He knew he was lucky that she gave him the latitude that she did but even he couldn't deny this mission had gone off the rails. Thankfully their previous history counted for a lot and he knew he could rely on her to run interference until he had things back on track.

"I guess we can talk about a raise for exceeding expectations when we all get back" He shot back wryly.

He could have sworn he heard a slight huff that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh before she responded as dryly as ever _"don't hold your breath."_

He turned away from the screens and refocused on the map in front of him. Now how exactly were they going to smuggle out two highly publicized terrorists from Paris?


	7. Chapter 7

Jaz had been kind of right and kind of wrong. Amir's stupid shoe trick did kind of work. But they also kind of drowned in the process. Or at least swallowed a shit ton of water.

It was precarious business trying to float undetected under the water with only your mouth breaking the the surface. The shoe had doubled as both a cover for their face and as an air reservoir, but it was certainly no snorkel. It had to be held at exactly the right angle and depth and even then she still ended up swallowing lots of scuzzy paris water. She was probably going to to have some sort of parasite after this.

It also was a bitch on the neck. She had to keep her head stretched upwards at a very uncomfortable angle in order to keep contact with the surface. The swim had probably only taken 15 minutes but it had felt like an eternity before Amir had apparently been satisfied they had gone far enough to avoid immediate detection. She was going to send him her chiropractor bill when this was all over, and maybe consider carrying a snorkel as part of her standard issue equipment. Would have been better than Amir's smelly shoe. She was now way to well acquainted with what his feet smelt like, a boundary she would have happily kept in place forever.

She hoisted herself up onto the wharf gracefully. Okay no, that was a complete lie. She flopped up onto it like a clumsy seal after her exhausted arms gave out mid way up. Flailing her legs a bit she managed to swing the rest of her up on the boards and then collapsed on the wooden platform panting.

Amir accomplished the same to the left of her and also lay breathing heavily. The pair of them were a comical sight. Thank god the team didn't have any drone footage of this. Seeing the two of them flail out of the water, shoeless and sopping wet. They would have been the laugh of the base for months. As it was she was sure their adventure would make the rounds at the water cooler so to speak, but she didn't need there to be further video evidence.

If anyone else were to see them now, no one would believe they were elite military operators, never mind high level terrorists. Thankfully they were mostly concealed by the tourist trap ticket booth to their left and the small fence that bordered the dock on their right. Presumably to keep the happy tourists from falling off as they lined up to board their romantic boat rides along what to her was a very brown, very gross and very unromantic waterway. There was no accounting for taste but she certainly wouldn't be caught dead on one of those even if you paid her the 80 euro entrance fee.

Regardless they should get to ground sooner rather than later and find a way to make contact with the team. She sat up and turned to Amir, surprised he hadn't already insisted on it.

"Alright what's the plan now?"

Amir was staring blankly ahead at the river. He didn't react in the slightest to her only slightly sarcastic inquiry. She was just about to tell him to get a grip when his face suddenly morphed and he rolled over onto all fours, leaning over the ledge and emptying his stomach contents into the water they had just come from.

The man hadn't eaten in at least 24 hours and was quickly was reduced to painful dry heaves that shook his entire body. When he was finally done he crawled away from the edge and settled back against the fencing. He took several deep, purposeful breaths, clearly trying to combat the sudden quell of nausea that he had just lost the battle with.

Watching him she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. His one eye was now almost completely swollen shut and his face was chalk white underneath his increasingly colourful bruises. Feeling most of her anger fade at the sight, she swallowed back her planned snipe. There would be a better time to take things up with him later, when they were back and he didn't look so pitiful and then she could ream him out guilt-free for how this had all gone down.

McG had suspected a concussion earlier and she knew from experience that concussions didn't like exertion. She was no expert, but jumping off a bridge and then swimming a few miles probably counted as the kind of exertion you were supposed to avoid. Unfortunately in their line of work it was usually hard to follow doctors orders right off the bat. You couldn't exactly throw your hands up mid-mission and find a dark quiet room to take a nap in.

She had ended up with a nasty concussion a couple years back when she had been shot out of her sniper perch. It was incredibly lucky that her vest had stopped the bullet but the momentum had knocked her from the roof and her head had broken her one story fall. Luckily she had a hard head, unluckily the team had needed to hike up a mountain afterwards for exfil. God that had sucked. Looking back she barely remembered most of the hike out, or the day after really, but she sure remembered the jokes made for weeks afterwards. Elijah had even gone so far as to buy her a bungee jumping kit complete with an obnoxious pink helmet, teasing her that clearly her balance couldn't be trusted at elevations and since she spent a lot of time up there she needed the proper equipment.

She smiled at the bittersweet memory, finding it almost possible these days to remember some of the good moments with him without being swallowed whole by his still had that kit stuffed away in her quarters. Never opened. But that hadn't been the point. Besides, who needs to bungee jump when you can free dive off a bridge.

Sighing and pulling herself from her thoughts she looked at Amir again. He seemed to have regained a tiny bit of colour in the few minutes they had been sitting still. "Alright lets see if we can find you somewhere to lay low for a minute while I find us some transportation and technology"

"I'm fine" he muttered, "let's just get moving."

It would have been a lot more convincing if he wasn't still a slightly green hue and despite his protests he didn't seem to be in any actual hurry to move.

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He had definitely lost that argument. It really hadn't even been close. She had emerged victorious and he was now sitting on the floor of the ticket booth that Jaz had "unlocked" before heading off to "borrow" some new toys.

But he was claiming a victory on their earlier argument over leaving Asim behind so they could call it a draw for the day. Clearly he had been hanging around Jaz too long. He wasn't normally a competitive person but she seemed to bring out that dormant side of him at times.

Resting his head against the wall behind him his eyes kept trying to close and Jaz seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time. He didn't actually know how long she had been gone but it felt like a while. Sitting and doing nothing made every second feel excruciatingly slow. It also allowed his thoughts to drift to places he'd really rather not go. Replaying the last mission. Knowing how close he had been to losing his life and that of the team and all the people in the market. It would have been just like Algeria all over again. Being so close to stopping the bombing but being unable to because he lacked just that one key piece of information. Only this time he would have been dead and wouldn't have had to live with that guilt everyday as well. Did it make him crazy if he would have preferred that to living with more survivors guilt.

He purposely refocused on the situation at hand, unwilling to go down that route and think about the other explosion he hadn't been able to stop. Once Jaz was back they hopefully would be able to get the team's assistance with making a plan for exfil. Which was good because he seemed to have used the last of his creativity and brainpower to this point and his brain felt like sluggish mush right now.

That was assuming that Jaz did come back.

He wasn't sure he could put it past her at this point to not have just gone straight to the cops and turned him in. Maybe any second now the door would be bursting open with swarms of armed officers ready to take him into custody and force an end to this charade.

He didn't think she would. Even if she wasn't a fan of having him on the team she still had some standards. But he had also pushed her to the limit today with his improvisation, so he wouldn't be totally surprised if she had just finally snapped.

Yet, she had seemed almost genuinely concerned about his health. Which had been slightly off putting. He certainly hadn't expected it after what he had just pulled, or even if the best of circumstances really. Maybe she had just been playing nice to give herself an excuse to sneak away and find a way to end this adventure.

He gave up and let his eyes drift shut. He honestly was too tired to care at this point and it was too hard to sort through all the possibilities swirling in his head. Jaz was a puzzle he couldn't solve at the best of times he wasn't going to waste energy trying now. At this point he was content to just see who came back through the door first whether it was Jaz, or the police.

He jumped slightly as the door swung open, as if precipitated by his thoughts. Jaz enters and he tries not to be too surprised it isn't the cops.

She holds up the results of her scavenger hunt, a cellphone and a set of keys. Her triumphant smile sours slightly as her eyes assess him, clearly a little concerned to find him in the same position as when she left who knows how long ago.

Uncomfortable under her scrutiny, he pushed himself up the wall to peer out the window and check if they had any other company in the vicinity.

Satisfied, he turned back to watch Jaz pacing, catching one side of her conversation with the team.

"Yes, we are fine."

"Yah we figured."

"Okay, we can get there."

"No we won't swim there. Funny McG." she makes eye contact with him and rolls her eyes at the joke made on the other side. But then seems to realize who she is commiserating with and the moment quickly ends.

"No, I made my own arrangements for wheels. Going with something a little more reliable this time" she smirked and twisted the keys on the ring around her finger.

"We will keep you posted. See you there."

"Ha… ha…". Obviously not finding whatever was said funny, she disconnected the phone with a huff.

He watched her for a moment, waiting for her to expand but she was lost in thought. Impatient to know what was said he finally prompted her "Soooooo…..."

"Well apparently I am now a high ranking terrorist associated to you. My face is on the 6' o clock news. So there's that."

"Oh….. welcome to the club?" he deadpanned, instantly regretting the lack of filter and cringing in expectation of her reaction.

But she actually laughed.

It was short and probably more of a huff of air than anything else but it made her eyes warm slightly and dance with humour in a way that he had seen them do on countless other occasions around the others.

Ok, he officially gave up. He would never understand her.

He was supposed to be good at reading people and finding ways to work them. But she had been impervious to all efforts. He still winced when he remembers how poorly his attempt at starting a conversation about Religion had gone. " _I was raised a New Yorker"_ she had shot back at him, words just as lethal as the loaded gun she had been holding. Yet, here she was when he expected her to be furious at him, showing concern and joking around with him like one of the guys. Maybe she had a concussion too.

She seemed oblivious to the loop she was throwing him for, continuing to share other details picked up from the call.

"They think our best bet is to go south. Gave us a train schedule and routing. We are going to hitch a ride as a freight train comes through and ride it down near the border. Officially the team is working very hard with the French to try to find Hamid Khedani and his new associate. Unofficially Top will meet us in Spain and we will fly out from there."

He tossed the information over in his mind, processing the different components. Spain huh? A siesta in sun sounded pretty nice right about now. It had been several Mañanas since they last slept. But it looked like the sun would soon be up on another morning so they needed to get moving if they wanted to take advantage of any darkness to cover them on their way.

He nodded to Jaz, tilting his head to the door with a quiet "lead the way."


	8. Chapter 8

"Amir wake up."

There is a slight delay but eventually she got a muffled response that insisted he was awake.

It would have been more convincing if his eyes weren't still firmly shut.

She gives him a gentle elbow to the side and is rewarded with red rimmed eyes that crack open begrudgingly. They focus on her sluggishly with a hint of accusation mixed with overwhelming fatigue.

"McG said you needed to stay awake till he checked you out." She shrugged in excuse.

"G's ovrreacting. M'fine."

She rolled her eyes at the slightly slurred words that undercut his point. Even now as she watched him, his head tilted forward again and started to dip slightly in a way that suggested he was about to drift off again.

She couldn't blame him. He had to be hitting the end of any sort of reserves. She was grateful he had somehow rallied and found a second gear to make it from the ticket booth to here. There was no way she could have carried him. He may look on the smaller side but his slight stature hid a deceptive amount of muscle beneath it. When he first joined the team she had been looking forward to a reprieve when they did injury recovery drills at base. She had been sadly disappointed when it had came time to actually try to carry him as a dead weight.

He hadn't thrown up again since the dock which she was taking as a good sign. She had been a little worried that it would end up all down her back as she weaved the stolen motorcycle in and out of back allies navigating away from the city center. She had told him in no uncertain terms as he mounted behind her that if he puked on her she was dumping his terrorist ass out at the first police station she found. She wasn't sure if he had taken her seriously, or really even if she had been serious, but either way it had worked. She had only started to relax when they had finally reached the quiet suburbs and could cruise straight along at a more moderate pace.

Both of them had managed to scale the moving train with much more grace than their attempts at the dock earlier. She had to give the DIA team credit they had sent them perfect coordinates for a spot where the freight train had to decelerate to switch tracks and they had barely had to break from a light jog to match it's speed and swing up onto it.

And now they finally got to rest a bit, sitting side by side on the floor and taking shelter in behind some bales of hay as they tried to escape the wind whipping through the freight car. The metal sides had large gaps where they met the roof allowing the crisp morning air to slip through unwelcomed. With each gust she was acutely aware of her still damp hair and clothes and she was beginning to shiver lightly as the cold penetrated deeper and deeper. She tucked her legs in and hugged her knees to her chest, lowering her chin to rest on top as she tried to conserve heat.

The steady motion of the train was undeniably soothing and she felt her eyes growing heavy and her tense muscles finally relaxing. Her eyelids remained close for a longer second and then even longer with the next blink. She would just let them rest for one second. Maybe just a quick moment to regroup….

Amir shifted slightly next to her, and caused her to start. She lifted her head guiltily to glance at him. He was oblivious to her as he stretched out slightly and let his head tilted back onto the metal wall behind him. She shook her head, trying to shake the cold and fatigue.

Someone needed to stay awake and keep track of their journey. Plus she was supposed to be monitoring Amir's condition. The way this was going they were both going to be asleep and happily riding the rails right into a border patrol checkpoint.

She turned her head towards Amir again. She needed to find a way to keep them both awake.

"Talk to me."

She felt him stir back to awareness, peering sideways at her without lifting his head off the wall. She could feel his searching gaze as his one functional eye tried to gauge her sincerity.

"What do you want to talk about?" he finally responded softly.

That was a good question. She probably should have thought of that before she opened her mouth. She struggled for a topic, not really knowing anything about the man outside of work related things. The silence stretched and she latched onto the one overarching question she had been struggling with since he had let himself be arrested and beaten.

"Why would you do all this to maintain a cover? Do you really love being Khedani enough to warrant all this?"

She was honestly curious. Obviously a lot of work had been put into this particular cover but new covers could be created. They used a variety of short term ones on a regular basis with their team. She couldn't get past the fact that Amir seemed to be holding tightly to parts of his past as a CIA operative. To her he still seemed half in and half out, and she more than expected that sometime soon he would be gone from their team and back under. She wasn't sure how to commit to another teammate who might just walk away one day, or worse. Her earlier arguments to Top "how do " _we_ " know that" had drawn the clear line of her team and her guys. Amir wasn't there yet.

She knew instantly she had said the wrong thing as Amir's eyes flew open and he looked at her with cool anger and some level of disgust. She fought the urge to recoil, feeling his body tense dangerously next to her.

She had seen that intensity directed at others before but it had never been aimed at her. It was unsettling, she now understood why people were intimidated by him as Khedani.

'Love him... I hate him." He hissed. " I'd put a bullet in him myself if that was possible"

His voice never rose, but it didn't need to. His low, gravelly tone made each word that much more impactful as he spat them out with disgust.

"I spent 3 years pretending to be something I'm not. Watching the people around me do unspeakable things and encouraging them on their way to do it. Pretending to be the scum of the earth. Pretending to be someone who would kill indiscriminately, innocent people, women, kids, whoever. All to serve a purpose most of them don't actually believe in while they actually seek power and glory."

He paused for a second and she thought he might be done but then his voice dropped even lower.

"Every second I spend as him blackens my soul and clings to me. I will never be free of that, of him, of what we've done together. To be able to fully convince myself that I was just doing it to save lives and not giving into some dark part deep down. That I'm not secretly a monster."

He broke off suddenly shaking his head. Seeming to instantly regret sharing so much.

She could hear him taking several ragged breaths trying to regain some composure back after his uncharacteristic outburst.

Biting her lip she stared straight ahead, not even daring to sneak a glance at him. She was completely at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond to his brutal gut twisting honesty.

She'd grown used to Amir just ignoring her thinly veiled shots. Always taking them in stride and rebounding to try and soothe things over even when she didn't deserve it. But this mission though he had not backed down. When she had thrown a verbal punch, questioning his decision making, he had jumped right into the ring and thrown back a few blows himself. And now he fought her in a completely different way. Not holding anything back and sharing a raw piece of himself that was like a visceral kick in the gut.

The irony was, this time she honestly hadn't meant to poke or prod or mock. Genuine curiosity had fueled her question, a desire to understand where he was coming from. But it was probably a little too late and she couldn't blame him for assuming the worst of her motivations.

There was silence for a long minute as she tried to figure out where to go from here. How to explain her sincere interest for once. To justify her reluctance about his undercover activities and why she struggled to accept him going under as Hamid and taking the risks that he had. That it had actually had more to do with her own baggage she carried than his own.

Finally she decided to just keep it simple. Taking a deep breath she hesitantly broke the silence "The uh, team member you replaced... his name was Elijah Vallins"

She paused, the realization that it was the first time she voiced his name since it happened hit her like another punch to the gut. Determined she hurried on before it completely derailed her.

"He pulled off more crazy things than anyone I've ever worked with. And then one day he walks in the wrong door and...that's it"

That's it.

Two words.

It was such a quaint way to put it. It hardly seemed to capture the magnitude of everything, of his life and his loss. But hundreds of the most poetic words couldn't begin to sum up what the team had lost that day. Who she had lost. So she didn't bother trying.

"The uh...the thing is I was right behind him. I caught him when he fell…" she trailed off remembering the sudden weight in her arms.

She'd known instantly. He was never still. Even when he was injured, even when he slept, and even when unconscious. The man was never still. He always hummed with unbridled energy. It was infectious… and annoying. Top had threatened to sedate the man on more than one long surveillance stakeout when he had grown tired of the constant twitching and pacing.

"I'm sorry" Amir's gentle words, and small bump to her shoulder brought her back to the present. She didn't deserve his kindness but he offered it anyways.

"Yeah" she managed through gritted teeth, resolving to finish what she started. She wasn't looking for his sympathy, she wanted to apologize for her behavior. To try to make sure he knew it wasn't because of anything he had done. That it was all from her own shit that she was trying to sort through.

"So uh" she had to stop to clear her throat, her body not cooperating "You know you being undercover like that, it probably pushed some buttons I didn't know I had."

She exhaled heavily, leaning her head back against the wall. She stared at the ceiling for a second, blinking through her watery eyes and trying to settle her emotions. She had thought she had healed but the large scar that she usually kept compartmentalized away was throbbing angrily now that she had picked at it.

"My sister loved to play the piano."

His voice once again offered her a lifeline and pulled her from her thoughts. She dropped her head to look at him, flinching slightly knowing instantly where this story was heading. Wishing she hadn't forced Top to tell her this already.

"She was 14 and on her way to a rehearsal. I made a poor decision that put her in the wrong place at the wrong time and some animal like Khedani used her to prove a point, to make the news."

He swallowed audibly before turning his head towards her with a partial smile that didn't quite reach to his eyes "So Yah, a girl in trouble who I thought I couldn't help. Maybe that pushed some buttons too.

She felt him shrug lightly, as if to excuse both of their behaviour. She wasn't sure she deserved his forgiveness and understanding as easily as he was willing to give it.

"So in answer to your original question" he smiled ruefully, acknowledging the miles they had travelled since she first asked it. "Khedani is a means to an end. He is the power to stop things like that. And if I can do one bit of good as him, if I can save just one kid like her who deserves better… it is all worth it."

She nodded in understanding, and actually felt like maybe she was starting to empathize with the man sitting next to her.

"Well you saved one today so that's got to count for something". She wasn't good at apologies but she figured that affirmation would mean more to him.

He gave her a grateful smile and leaned his head back against the train compartment wall. Before suddenly bringing it back down and turning to look at her again as he came to a delayed realization.

"You already knew"

He said it calmly. It wasn't a question. But it also didn't hold the sting of an accusation. Just sort of a bemused statement of facts that had probably taken him longer than normal to sort out.

She nodded apprehensively. Knowing exactly what he was alluding to but unsure how she had given it away.

"Top?" He sighed.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry Amir. I kinda forced his hand on this mission. He got tired of me second guessing you and needed me to pull my head out of my ass"

She regretted forcing Top's hand. It should have been Amir's choice to share that information when he wanted to. It meant more that he had shared it with her and she hoped that the betrayal of his privacy wouldn't put any strain between him and Dalton.

Amir watched her intently and seemed to read her self-recrimination before he nodded shortly and let it go. He reconsidered her earlier words and then asked somewhat incredulously "Did he really tell you to get your head out of your ass?"

She chuckled, "Well no, not actually. But you know how he is. He can say one thing and the alternative meaning is clear as day"

There was comfortable silence for a minute or two as they both considered some of the best phrases they had heard him turn.

"So I have a feeling there is going to be lots of teasing after this, got any ammunition I can use against the guys?" Amir continued to fuel the light mood even as he relaxed back against the wall.

She laughed, copying him and resting her head back against the cool metal as well. "Oh yes, I doubt we will hear the end of this for a while. McG will be the worst. Luckily I have some good dirt on him…"

They continued chatting about the team for the next couple hours. Jaz was surprised to learn that Amir was actually both a good listener and an amusing conversationalist. It had been hard to pick up on that fact hidden behind her previous walls of sarcasm and judgement. Time passed quickly as they told stories about the team and made jokes about shakshuka and pink bungee jump kits and somewhere in there she began to realize that maybe, someday, there might be room for one more friend on her team.

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Finally here. This was the chapter I wrote this entire story for. I didn't think it would take me 7 chapters to get to it but the backstory for how they got into the situation just kept expanding as I went. Hope it translated how I wanted it to. I borrowed some dialogue from the show because let's face it why mess with perfection.

Just one or two more chapters to go as we see if they can translate their new understanding to the real world outside a moving train car.


	9. Chapter 9

Amir was trying really hard to ignore the small stifled groans behind him but after about the third one he gave up.

"Let me fix that" he called back to her, stopping for a beat to force her to catch up.

Jaz's expressive face briefly showed surprise, then annoyance, then carefully went neutral. She quickened her pace and brushed past him with a curt "I'm fine" leaving no room or time for arguments, unless he wanted to have a debate with her back.

He lifted his eyes upward, sighing at the all too familiar brush off. It always seemed to be one step forward and two steps back with her. The logical part of his brain chided himself for hoping that today had maybe made a difference in that pattern. He knew she was tired and in pain, but he still couldn't help but be disappointed that she was so quickly back to closing him out.

They hadn't been as lucky with their exit strategy for getting off the train as they had with boarding it. When they had hit the designated spot for disembarking the ground had still been going by at an alarming speed. He had balked slightly at the door until Jaz had taken the opportunity to remind him that he had just forced her to jump off a bridge.

Hard to argue that point.

So he had gone first, absorbing the impact with several rolls that left him in a slightly dizzy and very dusty heap on the ground. He had straightened up just in time to see her follow his lead, obviously having waited to see how the first crash test dummy fared. The train's momentum had quickly taken her father down the track but even from his now distant vantage he could still see something go wrong as she jumped. A slip maybe, or maybe something caught on the way out. He wasn't' exactly sure but regardless the end result had been Jaz leaving the train off balance and at a bad angle that she couldn't recover from. He heard her cry out when she landed, a sound he wasn't accustomed to from the normally stoic sniper and he quickened his pace towards her. However by the time he closed the distance she had already straightened up, brushed herself off and was trying to pass it off as if nothing had happened.

He hadn't bought it. He wasn't McG but even he could see the tight lines of pain around her eyes and mouth and the awkwardly careful way she was holding her left arm tight to her side. His eyes had carefully traced up her arm looking for signs of swelling or bones protruding where they shouldn't be. All looked fine until he got to her shoulder and realized the left one was sitting a few inches lower than it should have been. Ouch.

She caught him looking, testily firing an "anytime you are ready" at him. So he had followed her lead and bit his tongue as they had set off on their trek. Only 10 miles or so now separating them from the small desolate field marked as their LZ.

She had held up well for the first couple miles but the terrain had gotten more uneven as they went and she began to lag behind. The extra bumping and jostling seemed to be making it harder for her to ignore the dislocated joint if stifled sounds of pain and heavy breathing were any indication

Still she stubbornly pressed on. And now, after his first failed attempt to broach the subject, she was walking ahead of him just to prove a point. He didn't push it again, moving to follow behind her as they followed a dusty trail through the Spanish easy conversation from the train feeling more and more like a distant memory as they trudged on in terse silence.

He brooded silently as he walked, ruminating on her stubbornness. Why suffer unnecessarily when it was a problem that could easily be fixed. Was it because she didn't want _him_ to fix it? Did her lack of trust in him run so deep that she wouldn't even let him give her simple medical care. What if she had been bleeding out would he be allowed to make a tourniquet or would she rather die.

Jaz face planting disturbed his pity party.

She caught her foot on a errant rock. Normally the agile ninja would have had no problem correcting her course but with one arm ineffective she struggled to re-balance and tipped forward despite her best efforts. Unable to break her fall she want down hard for the second time in the last hour. She tried valiantly to shield her arm on the landing but despite her best efforts the jarring motion drew a moan from her lips. She lay for a second before trying to struggle to her feet.

Catching up to her, he offered a hand to help her back up. Refusing to look him in the eye she ignored his offer and tried again to make it up on her own.

Pulling his arm back in, his frustration boiled over "Seriously Jaz, this is ridiculous…

She looked up at him, eyes fiery with anger and... was that embarrassment? She gave up on standing and sat back on her butt with a huff. Quickly looking away from him to survey the horizon as if she meant to take a scenic break all along.

"If you really can't trust me to do basic first aid. Maybe I need to put in for a transfer. Because this…" he gestured emphatically between them " this, isn't healthy for anyone."

He copied her and sat down on the ground. There was silence for a long moment as they both watched the sun slowly setting in the distance against the mountains. When she spoke it was so quiet he almost missed it.

"It's not a lack of trust"

He turned to look at her but she still stared determinedly in the other direction. She took her time, appearing to struggle to find the right words.

"I'm just... used to taking care of myself. Having to always prove myself"

Her voice hardened slightly and she spoke with more conviction " Guy gets hurt... it happens, part of the mission. I get hurt ...people start questioning whether it was cuz I'm a girl, whether this is too dangerous for women, whether I should even be here. Whether they need to protect me."

Her cheeks reddened slightly, and he could see what the admission cost her even as she kept her face slightly turned away from him. He recognized how hard it was for her to admit to not being as perfectly confident as she pretended to be. To lay a tiny piece of her hidden insecurities out for him to see.

"I don't question that. I wouldn't have made it past my first mission with the team if it hadn't been for your aim. "

He caught her shifting slightly. Subtly turning so she could evaluate what he was saying. Determining the level of sincerity in his words.

"Besides don't you think of anyone on this team I would get it. Prejudice and ignorance follows my path too. Every decision I make is always more carefully scrutinized. Questions are constantly asked about whether my loyalty is to my country or to my religion."

She smiled ruefully at him, finally facing him again. "People are stupid"

"That they are" he agreed.

"So if I let you pop this sucker back in can we stop having this chick flick moment" and just like that her sarcastic mask was firmly back in place.

"I think that could be arranged."

"Fine, have at it" she shrugged her one good shoulder.

He moved forward quickly before she could change her mind. Feeling around to find the top of the bone and the shoulder socket and trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Do you even know what you are doing?"

She squirmed under his touch quickly losing patience and second guessing her decision.

He rolled his eyes and continued feeling the joint "I've done this before" he tried to sound confident.

"I'm not going to end up with it facing the wrong way am I? Cuz I will sue if I can't shoot properly after this." She said peevishly.

"I have malpractice insurance" He muttered distractedly, concentrating on what he was feeling. "Seriously though, take a couple deep breaths and try to relax. It will make this easier."

She took a deep beath and gamely tried. He appreciated it, but the reduction in tension was minimal. He started gently moving her arm but =the muscles unconsciously tensed, pushing back against the painful movement. This was not going to work, she was not going to be able to relax running on fumes at the end of a couple long days. No, he was going to need to get this done another way.

He gripped her elbow carefully, moving it into a ready position.

"Hey Jaz... " he said exceedingly casually, "so what's the deal with you and Dalton?

Her head snapped towards him as she choked out a startled "What/!?"

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction he quickly finished the rotation, twisting and pushing up until he felt her shoulder snap back into place before releasing her arm. She curled forward tucking in on herself in and breathing out noisily as she dealt with the pain. After a few seconds she unfurled and her eyes burned a hole through him.

"What did you say?" she hissed through clenched teeth, still rocking back and forth slightly.

Oh I just asked "so do you need to call Dalton?" He said, keeping his expression neutral with great effort. I was wondering if we needed to check in to let him know we may be a bit behind schedule? He held his hands up placatingly but she continued to eye him suspiciously.

He couldn't resist tacking on "Why, what did you think I said?" with an innocent smile.

She finally seemed to relax slightly, probably knowing full well he was full of shit, but accepting that it had just been a joke with no malicious intent. Teasing was still a new development between them and he had no doubt she would get her payback at some point.

"Nevermind… Thanks." She groused.

"Ready to head out?" He asked, extending his hand to help her up.

She nodded, and he felt a strange level of gratification when she firmly grasped it and let him pull her to his feet so they could finish their journey to the rendezvous point.

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*** PS I really don't think you are supposed to put shoulders back in like this. I don't have a medical degree but Dr. Youtube says slowly and gently is the way to go. But where is the fun in that? Anyways - please don't try this at home ;)


	10. Chapter 10

Jaz paused, tilting her head upwards to absorb the sunlight. She stood still for second, basking in the fresh morning air and letting the warm rays hit her squarely on her face. After a long moment she set back off across the base towards the team's home quarters.

As she walked she slowly rotated her shoulder in gentle circles, trying to work out some of the discomfort and stiffness left by the physio's careful manipulations. It was just a dull pain, nothing she couldn't ignore. Hell she would have been content to ignore the whole thing all together in the first place. That was the reason she'd sworn Amir to secrecy, and for once been glad about his ability to hide information behind a stone face.

It hadn't mattered though. McG had eyes like a hawk and right after he'd finished fussing over Amir, his scrutiny had quickly turned to her. He'd demanded to know what was causing her "more sour than normal face" and refused to leave her in peacce until she finally gave in. After much arguing he'd eventually agreed not to take her out of rotation if she followed up with the base physio.

Then, evidently not trusting her to follow through on his recommendations, he had booked the appointments himself and walked her to her first one like a small child on the first day of school.

Apparently she was deemed trustworthy enough to make it home on her own though because when she exited she didn't find a chaperone waiting. She took advantage of the rare solitude, choosing the long route around the perimeter to get the best views of the ocean in the distance. Left alone with her thoughts they drifted as she meandered slowly across the base. Her mind kept trying and failing to make sense of the last few days and all the crazy happenings. She like things neat and orderly and to conform to her expectations. But going through all the mission chaos with Amir had not been what she expected at all.

He had not been what she had expected.

They weren't best friends by any means but there was something there now. Stark and new and glaringly obvious after so many months stalled out at ground zero.

She didn't know exactly when it had happened. Maybe being internationally wanted fugitives together automatically led to some level of baseline camaraderie. Or maybe it was the little pieces of common ground they'd found amidst the arguments, sarcastic digs and bold confessions that fostered some hard won respect. All she knew was that at some point her perception of him had shifted. She didn't know how to quantify it, or label it, or even what it meant going forward after their solo adventure was over, but she knew it was different.

Still, It had been a welcome sight to finally see Dalton waiting for them, lazing against the small plane in the middle of spanish nowhere. He had looked completely at ease, the thorough once over he gave them as they approached the only outward sign of any stress they had caused. Apparently satisfied with their general health, or maybe just the fact they hadn't killed each other, he greeted them with a familiar smirk and a loaded "what took you so long?"

The way he studied the pair of them had Jaz suspecting the freakishly perceptive man wasn't just talking about their arrival at the LZ.

The entire mission, from start to finish, to restarting and going off the rails, to finally arriving home, had been a little over 38 hours. Yet it felt to her like weeks since they received the call on Amir's CIA activation line and had abandoned their breakfasts to catch a flight. As they drove back towards the base both Jaz and Amir were quiet, busy processing all that had happened in all those hours. Dalton was never one to pry or to insist on idle chatter and had left them too it, resulting in a very silent car ride back from the air field.

As they neared the base Jaz had felt an unusual sense of unease. Normally she couldn't wait to get back to the hut they called home. Happy to hit the showers, grabs some junk food and enjoy the post mission downtime with the guys. But as they had approached she felt more and more uncertain about how things would be back at base now. How they should be. She wasn't sure whatever it was they had created over the last couple days actually could survive back in the real world.

There was awkward silence as they parked the car and she paused before she opened the door, feeling like she should say something. Amir hesitated too and she realized she wasn't alone in her apprehension.

"Jazzie!"

The awkward moment was interrupted by McG's shouts as he and Preach exited the bunker and came out to greet their wayward teammates.

Amir gave her an understanding smile as she turned to look out the window, distracted by her least favorite nickname being yelled at the top of McG's lungs. She'd exited the car so that the medic could get the full effect of her glare as she flipped him the bird. When she'd turned back around Amir had been gone, slipping away unseen leaving her alone to be engulfed by the team celebrating their return.

Goofing around with her guys as they headed into the hut, made it all too easy to imagine just returning to the regular status quo. She was pretty sure that was what Amir figured would happen, she kept seeing his last smile, tinged with sadness and regret.

She knew what he expected to come from this and she was determined to prove him wrong.

It wasn't anything big.

It wasn't fast, or overnight, or even a straight forward journey.

But over the next couple days and months she made little gestures and there were small little moments that turned the tide and paved the way for something to grow.

It was there when she dragged her carcass out of bed way earlier than she normally would have so that she could help him make one of his fancy breakfasts. She wasn't much for cooking but she had enjoyed kneading the bread. Perhaps maybe a little too much because Amir had reminded her several times that the dough wasn't an enemy assailant she was trying to kill. She begged to differ and thought the bread tasted just fine even when he blamed her for it coming out too flat.

It was there again later in the triumphant look Amir threw her when McG complimented him on how well he'd reduced her shoulder. Instead of ignoring him she'd rolled her eyes good naturedly and played along, taking the opportunity to rib him about his complete lack of bedside manner.

It was there when she actually initiated a civil conversation with him for the first time ever. That is, if you didn't count picking fights or starting arguments as conversing. She found an interesting article about an emergency canister of air that scuba divers used as a failsafe for their main tank. It was about the size of a small water bottle and they'd joked about the possibility of adding it to their standard equipment to avoid future shoe usage. Amir even promised to buy her one for Christmas if the quartermaster didn't come through for them.

It was different enough that the other guys had all noticed. Their looks of surprise weren't exactly well hidden. Preach had even asked her about it and subtly commented on her personal growth in a kind way that only he could pull off with without getting smacked. Although his fatherly vibe only got him so far, and it didn't stop her from trying to tip him off his chair when she learned about his series of bets with McG surrounding her and Amir's adventures.

It was there on the way back from physio when she stopped to grab a few groceries and a few extra items jumped off the shelf into her basket. Back at the hut she'd thrown a package of odor eaters at Amir with perfect aim, sending the pile of reports he was working on scattering across the table. Top had dumped all the after mission paperwork on Amir to do. Jaz wasn't sure whether it was a punishment for going so far off book at the bridge or just a genius ploy to make him take it easy. Knowing Top, probably both. Regardless, the entire team got a good laugh at Amir's expense when they realized what had landed in front of him. McG was cackling the loudest right up until he realized 3 packs were whizzing through the air in his direction. It was only fair, his feet smelled even worse without your face going anywhere near them.

It continued on into their next few missions too. Present in the easy banter as they mounted horses in the wilderness of Mongolia, or tried to anyways in Amir's case. And in the reassuring nod he gave her when they were crouched in the tall grass and she was brimming with anxiety for Top listening to the shots chase him closer and closer.

It was there in his calm steady arm that braced her when the adrenaline shot faded and her legs buckled under her. The fruit truck had still been a ways away and McG had wanted to carry her, but Amir had simply taken a bit more of her weight to help her along instead. He understood her desire to leave Iran on her own terms.

Back at base there had been some overly flat bread the next morning that she suspected he had made that way on purpose to make her laugh. There were also well timed invitations to go for walks out in the beautiful, colourful, sunny days that always seemed to come right when she needed them the most. Fresh air and comfortable companionship had gone a long way to ease the burdens she'd been carrying even if she would never admit it.

It was there in the sympathetic glance he shot her when Top grounded her from their next mission. And then in his simple honest words welcoming her back with a celebratory fist bump at McG's expense. Something she'd never have imagined doing with him that had somehow become one of their things.

It was there when her and Top watched Amir sneak into Varina's house in Turkey and marveled at Amir's chameleon like ability to blend in to any situation. She'd agreed without hesitation and Top's raised eyebrow and satisfied smile made her feel a little like she'd passed a test she didn't know she was taking.

It was there in his calm conviction that sustained her when she lost her faith. When things seemed too bleak because Top had gone dark, and Preach was in a coma, and she'd had to devastate his wife with the news, and Hoffman apparently still had a gun. But he'd reminded her to have faith in her teammates and so she had. He had been right.

It was even there on their much needed leave. She had felt more worn down than normal after this one, after Elijah, after Iran, after Hoffman. Normal life just hadn't seemed to fit right, uncomfortable and clingy like a shrunken shirt ruined in the wash. But she had one more teammate in her corner this time. Amidst the usual texts and calls from Top, McG and Preach there had also been some from Amir. He sent her recipes occasionally and it had taken a few weeks for her to realize they all came from a cooking for dummies site. She had retaliated with unsolicited dating tips and Cosmo articles for the relationship he tried to deny was happening with Hannah.

It was even a welcome surprise when he showed up a few days after her birthday with tickets to go bungee jumping. She'd worn her pink helmet just for Elijah and then she'd made sure to push Amir off the ledge when he wasn't expecting it. He was strapped in of course... but it was still satisfying payback for their Parisian plunge.

It wasn't until almost a year after that mission that she really understood how far they had come. How much she now counted him as one of her guys. It was there when he realized what she hadn't figured out yet, that there was someone she just couldn't live without... and when he did the impossible to bring him back to her.

It was a stupidly simple mission in Northern Africa that should have gone off without a hitch. The team was all set up surveying the target when they'd received emergency orders to evacuate. By the time the DIA received the Intel it was practically too late. Their warning only gave the team mere minutes to move as religious extremists swarmed the nearby border and systematically took over the city

Clearing street by street the team attempted to fall back to a secondary location outside the city, trying to get out before their position was compromised. They had almost made it to the outskirts when all hell broke loose. Suddenly they were overrun from multiple directions. Shots fired, pinned down, insurgents coming from all sides... really just another Tuesday for their team. She hadn't even broken a sweat yet. A small part of her actually enjoyed the moments like this when a mission got a bit more exciting.

Then everything changed in an instant.

She could still see Adam's face when the bullet struck him.

He was crouched at the top of an alcove across the street and a few buildings down. Just finished scouting their next move, he was turning towards them hands busy signalling his plan for their next move.

He had looked surprised, almost annoyed. But then had crumpled instantly, disappearing down into the sunken-in stairwell behind him.

It was a headshot.

She called out his name but it didn't come out quite right. Everything was distorted, like she was watching a badly streamed movie with massive audio lag. She knew bullets were still firing but she couldn't hear them hitting around her. Her teammates were yelling at her but their voices were just a dull vibration she didn't bother to make sense of.

All she could process was the spray of blood on the wall behind where he had stood. She couldn't take her eyes off the bright red splash, starkly contrasted against the sandy beige wall.

That had come from his head.

He wasn't supposed to go down like that.

She wasn't naive enough to think that any of them couldn't die on any given day. But the way he lived she'd always expected his death to be something more. Certain that if he was going to go out it would be in some blaze of glory, saving hundreds of people or defusing a bomb. Something self sacrificing and worthwhile, not a random bullet that probably hadn't even been aimed at him. She felt almost cheated by the way it happened.

It couldn't be real.

So she just kept standing there. Frozen in place staring at the spot she'd last seen him. Waiting for him to jump back up any second as if it had just been a mistake or a joke. It was Top. He always bounced back up again.

When he didn't, her feet seemed to move of their own accord, determined to go to his aid. A strong grip on her arm held her back, Preach's hold the only thing keeping her from ignoring all her training and breaking cover. Her muddled brain couldn't understand why he thought that was a bad idea to go out there even as more bullets ricocheted near them pinging off surfaces in all directions. She could make it across to him. She was quick.

His insistent pull in the other direction left her no option, finally forcing her to tear her eyes away from that messy red stain on the wall. After that they didn't focus on anything else for a while, letting the buildings and streets blur by as she moved on autopilot. All she knew was that they were going in the opposite direction of their fallen leader. She didn't really care where they were going or what the others were saying. She just cared that it wasn't towards him.

It was some time before she finally managed to form a word.

"No."

The team turned to look at her from across the room, perhaps surprised that she was finally joining the conversation after refusing to acknowledge anyone for the better part of the last half hour. Practically catatonic, they'd steered her to an abandoned house and had set up communications with command without the slightest participation from her. But it was their current conversation with the DIA about exfil options that finally forced her out of her stupor.

"No,"she repeated, "He's not dead. We can't just leave him."

"Jaz… it was a headshot". McG said gently. Trying to rationalize with her.

She knew that damn it. Her mind had replayed it over and over in slow motion incessantly. The impact point, the spray of blood, the look in his eyes, the way his body had gone limp.

"He's not dead." She repeated, long past caring if she sounded like a petulant child.

She ignored the pitying looks, gritting her teeth and forcing out her argument.

"Even if he was... we still need to bring him home. He wouldn't leave any of us behind, dead or alive. Me being here is proof of that." She held each of her teammates gaze, daring them to disagree with the fact that they had been willing to break protocol for her.

Patricia's voice quickly quashed any sort of momentum she was gaining. "Negative, that area of the city has been overrun by rebels, I can't allow you to risk your lives on a recovery mission... And he wouldn't want you to. We will retrieve Captain Dalton's body at a later time"

The director's voice wavered slightly. Using his official title hadn't made it any less personal or any easier to say, and it certainly didn't erase all the history that the two of them shared.

But after the briefest of pauses she continued on firmly, giving them direct, orders "You will exfil as planned, CPO Carter will see to that."

Jax looked desperately at Preach, but the despair and resignation in his eyes told her the answer before he even spoke. "She's right Jaz, Top would never accept us going back in with the way the board is stacked. Bringing his body back, it won't change anything and it's not worth more lives."

The harsh truth caused a small sob of frustration to escape. Normally she would have been mortified but she couldn't bring herself to care at this point. She paced to the window in agitation trying to get her emotions under control.

They had to think she was insane. There was no logical way to explain what she was feeling. The certainty down deep in her gut that they should be planning a rescue mission not a retreat. Maybe she was just living in denial because she hadn't seen the body yet. With Elijah, the irrefutable proof had literally fallen into her arms. It had been clear, final. Time to grieve and move on. It felt different this time.

Amir came and stood beside her, joining her in staring out the window. She wasn't sure what they were searching for. Hope maybe?

She shook her head, "He's not gone."

"Jaz…"

"I'd know, ok. She cut him off, turning to face him. Desperate for someone to understand what she was trying to say

"I'd know if he was gone. I knew with... I knew last time. I get this sounds crazy, but what if he's still alive. We need to at least try. if there's any chance, we can't just go."

She stopped, trying furiously to blink back the tears she didn't have time for right now. She could feel him studying her, his face tired and sober in the dim street lighting that peeked through the window. She didn't know what he was looking for but he seemed to find it and after a long second, he gave her a short nod.

"Ok."

It was so soft she barely heard him.

"Ok?' She repeated, confused. He ignored her, already walking back to the table with a new purpose in his step. He studied the map for a minute, pursing his lips and muttering to himself, then he straightened up and turned to address the DIA on the laptop.

"What if we could change the board"

He said it quietly, casually, but it carried like a shout in the silent room. Everyone in the room and at command center stilled, unsure what he was proposing.

Dalton's absence was painfully obvious right now. He would be there with a hint of pride in his eyes, encouraging their quietest teammate to share his ideas.

Without that prompting, Amir took his time, pensively regarding the map splayed in front of him one more time to be sure before he finally continued "The cell has likely concentrated their men here, here… and here. If they are smart they have roving security in this area and probably there as well." He gestured calmly to different areas of the map, words quickening as he gained momentum.

"If we could convince them to redirect their focus to this perimeter area here, it would leave us a clear corridor to send a small recovery team in undetected."

"That's all well and good Amir, but how would we convince them to do that." Patricia's voice was skeptical.

"Well I thought we would ask politely" he said dryly.

Lifting his head from the map he ignored McG who was smirking at his unusual glibeness. He looked past Preach's one raised eyebrow that betrayed his otherwise carefully neutral face. His dark eyes locked on Jaz and he gave her a soft, rueful smile "Actually, I thought maybe Hamid Khedani would ask them a little less politely."

 _Don't shoot the writer... even though I shot Dalton. Couldn't resist a chance to get some Dalton whump in. This was supposed to be the quick wrap up chapter to finish but this whole follow up mission kind of took on a life of its own and became almost a full fledged story that needed to be done justice. So one more chapter to come. Should be up shortly._


	11. Chapter 11

Jaz and McG hurried along the alley, hastening towards the spot where everything had gone to shit.

Not wanting to look at gift horse in the mouth the team had thrown together the mission plan in record time. Quickly executing it before the deputy director had any time to change her mind.

Although she honestly hadn't put up too much resistance.

Jaz suspected that deep down the director had wanted to have an excuse to send them back in, and had been happy to be able to justify it with Amir's idea.

She had barely put up a fight, greenlighting Amir's proposal after only a few minor changes. Those changes, being wired and having Preach nearby for backup, had made Amir scowl. He'd started to argue that it was unnecessary, but with a little prompting in the form of a well aimed kick to the shins, he'd gotten the hint and plastered on an entirely unconvincingly fake smile and "happily" agreed.

McG kept hissing at her to slow down from behind, but she was a women on a mission. Her training instructors probably would have torn a strip off her for the speed at which she was clearing corners. Top likely would have as well. But she was confident that she was taking adequate care to ensure they went undetected and arrived safely… probably.

It didn't help that her attention was split listening to Amir hold court in her ear. Before her and McG set off she had anxiously listened to him make contact with the cell leaders, crafting an elaborate tale about how he had escaped from Paris, journeyed southbound into Spain and crossed into North Africa by sea. He claimed to have been laying low for several months in this area, but now that the fight had come to his doorstep he was offering his services.

They had lapped it up.

Apparently his infamous escape off the bridge had put him over the top as some sort of terrorist folk hero. She honestly had been expecting someone to ask for his autograph with the way they were gushing about his adventures. So it had been child's play for Amir to plant the seed of doubt about an incoming attack. He casually mentioned being aware of an American team that was operating in the region, acting surprised at the confirmation that the cell had already made contact with them. Then he had faked concern, hoping that the American's hadn't been able to get a call for aid to their reinforcements he knew were located a few miles due south.

The terrorists were thoroughly proud of themselves when "they" came up with the idea to pull troops from the north and eastern sectors to reinforce the southern borders. Jaz had smirked, remembering Amir in Mongolia earnestly explaining his preferred tactic to Top. _The best way to manipulate people is to nudge them to act of their own accord._ The terrorists had no clue they were being nudged off a ledge.

In a matter of moments, Noah and Hannah confirmed sufficient troop movement had occurred to allow McG and Jaz to begin the recovery mission.

Rescue mission. Jaz was calling it a rescue mission until it wasn't.

As they walked she could still hear Amir creating conversation in her ear piece. Probably gaining valuable intel as he stalled for time. Another perk of this mission that had likely helped get it cleared. She no longer spared the attention to keep up with translating it. Just letting the general tone reassure her that it was working, they were buying it, he was safe.

Both too soon, and far too late, they approached their target. Her feet slowed of their own accord and McG had to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing into her. He looked past her and his mouth hardened into a grim line.

There was so much blood.

With his eyes closed, Top could have been sleeping if it weren't for that one very obvious red tell. He lay exactly where he had fallen. Where they had left him. The entire side of his head and shoulder were barely recognizable underneath the dark congealed fluid that pooled out onto the concrete around him and would surely leave a nice stain for the property owner.

Jaz's breath caught at the sight. Her stomach twisted in physical pain. Maybe it would have been better not to have seen this. Maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad thing to live in denial a little bit longer.

That finality she wanted, it was overrated. It hurt.

McG squeezed her shoulder gently before moving past her down the stairs into the shallow landing below to kneel beside Dalton.

He laid a hand gently on Adam's shoulder, grief making his movements slower than normal, almost reverent. He gently tugged at a limp arm, bringing Dalton off his side to lay flat on his back. With a sigh he reached out towards his neck, hand trembling almost imperceptibly. Jaz had seen him take a pulse hundreds of times in his life, fingers quick and assured. The way he hesitated, it was clear this time he didn't want the answer.

Suddenly he stiffened, head shooting up to look at her as all the colour drained from his face.

He scrambled, pulling off his bag and wrenching it open. Digging madly through he pulled out gauze and hastily began wrapping it around Adam's head.

"McG?!"

He didn't answer her, too consumed with what he was doing.

But he didn't have to. You didn't wrap a wound for a dead man.

"Holy shit, he's alive"

She didn't realize she'd spoken the words out loud until voices in her ear started buzzing furiously. Preach and the DIA demanding to know what was happening.

Relief made her dizzy, and sitting down seemed like a good idea at that exact moment.

He was alive.

McG leaned over and listened to his breathing.

"Jaz, get me the vent kit"... She heard him, and nodded slowly. It seemed like a good idea, alive people needed oxygen.

"Jaz, I need your help here" the increased urgency in his voice finally forced her into action.

She managed to rise on shaky legs and stumbled to his side. Digging through the pack numbly she found protein bars, and ammo and everything but the bloody vent kit.

Where the fuck was it.

"Bottom left."

McG spat out the direction around a mouthful of unopened gauze packs, obviously impatient with her struggles.

Aha. There it was. Her fingers closed on the hard casing in the bottom corner exactly as described.

He paused his wrapping, quickly plucking the kit from her hand and threading the tube down the unconscious man's throat with ease. McG handed her the pump with a quick, "here take that" but then paused for a second, apparently unsure if she was up for the task.

"1,2 squeeze.. I've got it McG." She tried to sound convincing.

He didn't look entirely reassured, but after watching her hold the steady rhythm for a second he went back to wrapping.

The demands for information in their ear reached a more frenzied pitch and McG finally answered them.

"Yes, he's alive, barely…...No, I have no idea how. There's too much blood to see where the bullets gone or what kind of damage it's done. So don't go planning any celebrations yet,

McG's cautious voice was speaking to the team in his ear, but his eyes stayed locked on Jaz. The warning not to get her hopes up was plain as day.

He pulled open the final pack of gauze as he explained the situation.

"Just finishing packing it. Amir and Preach you guys are going to have to come to us instead. I don't want to move him more than strictly necessary. I have no idea what kind of structural damage we are talking about here. Command how close can we get our helo?"

Jaz zoned out, only half listening as her team worked out the logistics. She didn't want to think about the fact that the could lose him again on the way back. Or that even if they managed to get him back they still might not actually get _him_ back. Instead she focused on squeezing the balloon.

1,2 squeeze….

1,2 squeeze….

Focusing on the task kept the overwhelming feelings at bay. Relief, panic, despair, worry, there would be time for all of that later. It was one of the first things she learned in the military. How to compartmentalize and stay connected to the task at hand no matter what.

Every task had a rhythm, a pattern to tune into. With her rifle she had it down to an exact science, each precise moment and sensation prior to a shot was always the same. She never got rattled no matter how desperate the shot, how big the target, because it was just her and the same routine, feeling the same sensations for the thousandth time. The solid bracing of the stock against her shoulder, the familiar feel of metal indenting her right cheek, the same way the trigger sat lightly under her curled pointer finger, and the way her brow furrowed and her right eye squinted just so as the target aligned with the scope.

Then all there was left to do was pull.

Just like all she had to do right now was keep squeezing.

To stay completely focused on the feel of the plastic bubble in her hands, the exact amount of force needed to deliver a full breath, the hiss of the air rushing through the tube, the slight rise of his chest with each squeeze.

1,2 squeeze….

1,2 squeeze….

She vaguely heard Amir making up an excuse to leave the terrorists right before a large explosion rocked the skyline in the distance.

That she paid attention to for a second, taking satisfaction in watching the large plume of fire and smoke that meant that Top's shooter was probably dead. She also couldn't help but be impressed with how big an explosive force come from Amir's shoes, "accidentally" left behind. Apparently there was a good reason you had to take your shoes off to go through airport security these days. You could pack quite a lot of explosives in one pair. Especially if your name was Preach.

1,2 squeeze….

1,2 squeeze….

Tires squealing nearby broke her rhythm. She looked up long enough to assess the threat. As soon as she recognized Preach driving the car her hand released her gun and returned quickly to the plastic.

1,2 squeeze….

1,2 squeeze….

It became a little trickier as they moved him into the car. Even harder to maintain the rhythm as the car weaved through the streets to the newly designated LZ. McG offered to take over in the car, and again in the helicopter, but she shook him off wordlessly each time. He took one look at her and apparently knew better than to argue.

She wasn't just keeping him alive, she was keeping herself sane

1,2 squeeze….

1,2 squeeze….

So when they finally reached the hospital and she had to relinquish her task to someone else she lost it.

She was probably fortunate that her team knew her better than she knew herself. Preach's strong arms pulled her away from doing something stupid for the second time in as many days.

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Waiting was agony.

Absolute agony.

Amir was probably better at it than the average person. He understood the long game, the need to wait and let things develop at their own pace.

None of that applied to this situation. He was very much as impatient as the next person when it came to someone he cared about.

Each day brought small pieces of news.

First they learned Dalton had a hard head and unbelievable luck. The man should probably buy some lottery tickets, having turned his head at exactly the right moment so that the bullet hit at the exactly the perfect angle, skimming more than puncturing. His skull was spectacularly fractured, they'd seen the X-ray, but the bullet hadn't penetrated further.

In fact, when he had been lurking in the hallways near where the doctors met to discuss things, purely coincidentally of course, he had actually heard one of the specialized neurologists mutter under his breath "I don't fucking believe it" after reviewing Adam's x-rays and scans. Given the length of time he had been without treatment and the severity of the impact to his skull it was apparently a miracle that he wasn't brain dead, or just plain dead dead.

He had been lucky in that respect, but the bullets force had still done it's damage. He remained in an induced coma, intracranial pressure off the charts. Shunts were bringing it down bit by bit, but nowhere near fast enough or definitively enough for anyone's comfort level. And there were no clear answers about what would be left when it did finally lower.

So they waited.

And waited.

Dalton was always an overachiever. He blew the record out of the water for the longest coma by one of their team members. Preach had previously held the record at 5 days.

By the time Dalton hit a week, Jaz was a wreck.

They forced her to eat, they forced her to try to sleep, but she still barely functioned. She subsisted on one word answers, 20 minute cat naps and horrendous hospital coffee, long past the point that was healthy for anyone.

Finally just before he hit the 2 week mark Top's stats had improved enough that they weaned him off the heavy drugs that kept him in a coma.

It was great news, until nothing changed.

He breathed on his own, his brain activity was promising, but his eyes never opened. And still they waited and the days continued counting.

He was hardly surprised when he neared Top's room and saw her sitting there. He was supposed to be relieving Preach and McG, but she rarely left, even when it wasn't her shift. He crossed the threshold into the room, watching sadly as his movement had her lifting her head out of her hands. Her eyes automatically searching the still frame on the bed in front of her in vain, hoping it was the source.

Instead Amir sat delicately in the chair next to her. Giving her a small nod in greeting.

She sighed, and visibly deflated in disappointment. He would have been offended but he understood the reaction. He would rather see Dalton move too.

"Where are Preach and McG?"

She tore her eyes away from Adam in order to roll them at him "McG hadn't eaten anything in like 2 hours. You know how he gets, the world was about to end. Preach took him to get a snack"

"Yes, I am well acquainted with Hungry _Joseph_ ", he laughed.

It was comforting to have her sound more like herself again. Her sarcasm dearly welcomed after so many days of eerie silence and minimal responses that had been reminiscent of his first few weeks with the team. Except he hadn't been the only target this time, she had frozen out the whole team from whatever dark place she had been in.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, until he noticed her shifting next to him. She seemed to be working herself up to say something, mouth opening and closing several times as the right words escaped her. He stared straight ahead, watching the numbers on the monitors, watching Adam's chest rise and fall, looking anywhere but directly at her, allowing her to take her time.

Just when he was about to reconsider his strategy and try to coax whatever it was out of her she finally spoke.

"Thank you… for believing me. Thank you for doing what you did"

He considered her and quirked a smile, "Oh, I didn't believe you. I thought you were bat shit crazy… I just didn't care"

He watched her sort through all sorts of emotions caused by his glib response. She looked like she didn't know exactly what to say back to that, finally just giving him a sheepish smile and raising an eyebrow at his word choice

"Bat shit crazy huh?"

He laughed slightly, holding up his hands in gesture of peace

"McG's words not mine, don't shoot the messenger…...Although if the shoe fits… Oww!"

He rubbed his shoulder only somewhat in jest, she had put some good force behind her punch. Another hopeful sign that she was turning the corner.

They fell silent, and he sobered slightly, his mind continuing to think about what he had just said. The phrasing and the sentiment behind it reminded him strongly of Hussein's words to him in the van in Iran, before they had started out on an improbable rescue mission of their own. " _Oh I'm not arguing with you, I'm just stating a fact…. I love madness"_

He hadn't really understood it before. Why the man had been so willing to go along with their plan when clearly he thought it was nuts. But in that moment, when Jaz had pleaded with him to believe her, when he had felt the overwhelming devastation and despair that her denial was masking, he had finally understood what Hussein had meant. That the man had known the risks, embraced the madness and was willing to do whatever it took, including sacrificing his life, all so that his longtime friend would stop hurting.

Amir got it now. He'd been willing to do the same.

Jaz apparently wasn't done thinking either, frowning slightly as she turned somethng over in her mind. Unwilling to let it go that easily she probed further "but you gave up your cover?"

That was true. There was no way someone didn't survive who could link Khedani to that bombing. People would know Khedani had been there and someone would be smart enough to start connecting the dots. He could never trust that cover again.

But he had known that going in. Had accepted it as the price to be paid and was long over it. In fact it was almost freeing to have some closure to that part of his life.

He shrugged, "Like I said before, if I can save one person with it, it's worth it" repeating what he had told her on the train that day. It felt like forever ago. They'd come so far since then, building a friendship and then something stronger. She was the little sister he'd never gotten a chance to know as an adult. The one who would have teased him and encouraged him, challenged him and inspired him.

She looked sadly at the figure on the bed who still hadn't so much as twitched a finger in weeks... "I hope it's worth it."

She yawned and settled back in her chair. He hardly dared to move as her breathing evened out and her head began to nod. It slowly tilted down, inching lower and lower until it came to rest on his shoulder.

She hadn't understood what he meant, but it didn't really matter.

Maybe one day he would explain that he hadn't done it for Dalton. He certainly would have if he'd known the man was alive, but he hadn't been lying about not believing her. Finding the man still breathing had been a very welcome surprise, but hadn't been the driving force behind his actions.

There was just something about a girl in trouble, that still pushed his buttons. It probably always would.

But he had been determined to save this one.

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Jaz woke with a start, eyes going straight to the bed, only to be disappointed again. She hadn't thought she had any hopes left to dash. But there they were sinking again.

Instead she saw McG and Preach at the doorway watching her with amuesement. She lifted her head, realizing belatedly that she was using Amir's arm as a pillow.

"Careful Amir, she drools." Of course McG couldn't let the hallmark worthy moment go without some sort of jibe. In all honestly she probably got of lightly because he was just happy to see her sleeping. Maybe it would postpone her getting yet another lecture about how she needed to get some rest for at least a couple more hours. Small price to pay.

She stood up to stretch, body complaining about spending too many hours in this very plastic, very unergonomic hospital chair. She really missed her comfy recliner back at the base. Her eyes automatically scanned the vitals on the monitor, way too well acquainted with Top's cardiac rhythms and blood pressure fluctuations.

She turned back around just in time to watch McG park his large butt in her chair and prop his feet up on the bed with an exaggerated sigh of contentment.

He smirked at her "snooze you lose Jazzie."

Amir swatted at his legs half heartedly from where he sat, "That's just cruel, Top can't defend himself against the your biohazardous foot odor right now"

Preach snorted "Actually Amir, I think your feet are the more lethal ones these days"

McG crowed victoriously, "That's true, just ask that terrorist cell. Oh wait. We can't.… Might be your best one yet Preach"

Jaz wasn't sure if he was referencing Preach's joke or the bomb, but either way the medic apparently felt it deserved a high five. McG reached out, stretching his heavy bodyweight over the chair's armrest to span the distance to the other man. His chair tipped precariously and Jaz couldn't resist. She leaned across the bed and gave his feet a hard shove off their perch. Without that anchor point, his chair lurched dangerously and he flailed hard the opposite way, overcompensating and bringing the chair back down again with a hard slam.

Jaz snickered but then had to bite her lip to keep from full on laughing when a nurse poked her head in the door and surveyed the room, looking for the source of the noise. McG tried to put on his best innocent expression but she still zeroed in on the culprit and stared suspiciously at him for several long seconds.

She gave them all one last stern look and then left the room. The team was silent for a second, but then burst out in raucous laughter. There was no way the departing nurse didn't hear them but they didn't care, having had precious little to laugh about the last couple weeks. Preach, and Amir continued chortling, imitating McG's flailing, mocking his "innocent" expression, even McG joined in laughing at his own expense.

All except Jaz.

Jaz was frozen, unable to find words. Staring down at the thin slit of familiar bluey grey eyes that were finally open on the bed below her.

McG was the first to notice her reaction. Shooting out of his chair to join her standing by the bed, sobering quickly into his medic mode.

"Adam?

"You awake?"

McG's gentle prompts didn't get a response. Several long seconds later his eyes drifted shut again and another few seconds later there was a low groan.

"Top...can you hear me?

He said it a little more firmly this time and Adam's eyes flickered open again to half mast.

There was no hint of recognition, just another unintelligible groan before heavy lids closed again.

McG reached behind the bedframe and flipped a switch, dimming the lights in the room. He pulled the call button paging the doctor while he was at it.

"Alright, that should be better, try again Adam" he encouraged.

Eyes fluttered open more comfortably, staying open longer but still not focusing on the medic or anyone else in the room.

Jaz was pretty sure she had forgotten how to breathe.

"Can you tell me your name?"

There was no response and she exchanged a worried glance with Amir and Preach.

McG didn't seem alarmed through continuing to talk reassuringly, "That's okay, give it a minute for things to start making sense again. Lets go a little easier here" He picked up one of Top's hands. "Can you squeeze my hand?"

All eyes were glued to his fingers and they collectively exhaled when they saw a slight twitch. Weak as a kitten, barely classified as a squeeze, but it was a defined movement nonetheless.

"Thats it… And the other one… Great"

Smiles all around.

"Do you know where you are?"

No response.

"How are you feeling?"

His eyes slid shut again and stayed shut.

Jaz sunk into the closest chair, thoroughly discouraged, her stomach churning with disappointment. She knew she should be happy he was awake but all of the worst case scenarios they had been warned about suddenly seemed much more possible. What if he couldn't talk? What if he didn't know them? What if he was just a shell of himself?

Then, low and quiet he mumbled something, barely more than a whisper.

McG leaned in closer, "what was that Top?"

Adam murmured it again, just loud enough to be heard in the silent room "Headache"

It was the most glorious word she had ever heard.

McG huffed a laugh, giving a relieved smile that was matched 3 times over "I'll bet you do. I'll bet you do…"

The tension in Adam's face slowly smoothed out as he drifted back off to sleep.

Amir's shoulder found her's with a friendly bump. "Remind me never to doubt your gut again."

She laughed, wiping a few errant happy tears off her cheeks. "Remind me to dig my pink helmet out for Top. We can paint it camo, but he is wearing it every mission from now on."

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 _That's all she wrote. Thanks for reading :) Hope everyone enjoyed it._

 _Would love to hear your feedback before the next one takes off. I have the start of a McG story brewing in my mind._


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